Punjab postpones exit exams in all universities till July 15

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday announced postponement of exams for the final semester students in all universities of the state till July 15. The announcement was made in response to the concerns expressed by students and parents on the conduct of examinations in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic

The final decision, according to a government spokesman, will be subject to the new directions and guidelines expected to be released by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Seeking to allay all confusion and uncertainty on this count, the CM said the postponement till July 15 will also give all the stakeholders, especially the universities, time to adapt and align to the new guidelines that will come from the UGC.

The spokesperson said the CM felt there was need to remove confusion from the minds of students, teachers and parents regarding the safe conduct of examinations.

It may be recalled that Punjab’s universities had taken a decision to conduct exams of exit classes in July, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the UGC on April 29.

The UGC had then announced that it will review the situation again. However, the decision regarding academic activities, especially conduct of examinations, is awaited from UGC.

The CM has been repeatedly pointing out that since all the universities and colleges in Punjab are accredited or affiliated to the UGC, any decision on the exams can only be taken by the statutory body that functions under Centre’s ministry of human resource development.

STUDENTS HAD RAISED CONCERN OVER EXAMS BEING CONDUCTED AMIDST THE PANDEMIC