UGC Revised Guidelines: Universities to hold final-year exams by September

Abhay Anand | July 6, 2020 | 10:01 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued revised guidelines on exams, advising universities to take till September to hold examinations for final-year students. In its April guidelines, exams were scheduled in July. The UGC's revised guidelines have come amidst pressure from students, teachers and parents to cancel the examinations due to increasing cases of coronavirus infection.

As per the fresh guidelines, finalised at an "emergent meeting" held on Monday, evaluation of the terminal semester students which was to be done through examinations in the month of July, will now be through exams conducted by the end of September 2020, Shortly before this announcement, the Ministry of Home Affairs gave universities the go-ahead to hold exams.

The MHA guidelines require univerisities to follow the UGC guidelines and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The exams can be conducted in pen-and-paper mode, the controversial online mode or "blended" mode.

Union HRD Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank made the announcement on Twitter writing: “The UGC has revisited its earlier guidelines related to university examinations. In view of the safety, career progression and placements of the students and their larger interests, after consulting @HMOIndia and @MoHFW_INDIA, it has been decided that Intermediate semester students will be evaluated based on internal assessment (as per earlier issued guidelines).”

UGC guidelines, MHA guidelines

Students across the country have been appealing to the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the UGC to cancel the examination.

The commission in its emergent meeting today approved the 'UGC Revised Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar for the Universities in view of COVID-19 Pandemic'.

As per the guidelines, “The terminal semester(s)/ final year(s) examinations be conducted by the universities/ institutions by the end of September, 2020 in offline (pen & paper)/ online/ blended (online + offline) mode.” This came after the new MHA directions on university exams.

The UGC has said that academic evaluation of students is an important milestone in any education system. The performance in examinations gives confidence and satisfaction to the students and is a reflection of competence, performance and credibility that is necessary for global acceptability.

The terminal-semester or final-year students having backlog should compulsorily be evaluated by conducting examinations in the offline, online or blended mode as per feasibility and suitability.

The guidelines regarding intermediate semester or year examination, as notified on April 29 will remain unchanged.

“If need be, the relevant details pertaining to the admissions and academic calendar in the universities and colleges shall be issued separately in place of those mentioned in the earlier guidelines issued on 29th April 2020,” guidelines read.

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