Maharashtra can’t conduct final-year exams: Education min to HRD ministry
MUMBAI: A day after the University Grants Commission (UGC) accepted a recommendation by an expert panel, clarifying that universities should conduct endof-term exams for their final-year batches, state minister of higher and technical education Uday Samant on Tuesday wrote to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), reiterating that Maharashtra is not in a position to hold exams.
“At present, Maharashtra is the worst-affected state, with more than two lakh confirmed Covid-19 cases. In such an unforeseen and challenging situation, conducting final-year exams of more than 10 lakh students seems a highly infeasible task, and if conducted, would endanger the well-being of students, teachers, parents, support staff and other machinery involved in it,” said Samant in a statement addressed to the union HRD minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
He asked authorities to make the revised guidelines of UGC not mandatory and instead to suggest a formula to promote students based on their previous semester performances.
The two-page letter is also marked to Union home minister Amit Shah, secretary of higher education, Centre and UGC chairman. “Due to this pandemic situation, most students have travelled back to their hometowns and to appear for exams, they will have to travel back to cities and this travel could also hamper their health. There have been incidences in other states and countries where exams were conducted and a large number of students got infected by the virus,” said the letter.
The Ugc-appointed committee on Monday revealed that it is in favour of holding exams, especially for final-year students. However, it suggested that the exams may be held either in the online, offline or blended modes. The panel also clarified that universities must hold these exams latest by September-end for which revised guidelines will be released soon.
Officials from city colleges, however, say it will be impossible to work out an exam schedule and conduct them in the state. “Maharashtra is facing a grave situation and even though the UGC directive says exams should be held by September, who knows how the situation will be in the next two months?” said TA Shiware, chairman, Mumbai Association of Non-government Colleges.
Teacher groups too feel that the UGC’S decision has been taken without understanding the ground reality. “We are against the UGC’S decision and stand students’ safety. The Centre should leave the decision on the states,” said Tapati Mukhopadhyay, president, Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (MFUCTO).
Several student organisations too have criticised the UGC’S decision. Mohammad Salman, south Maharashtra president of Students’ Islamic Organisation, said that the guidelines will add to confusion and anxiety among students, and disturb the academic calendar of universities.
Many student groups, including the Yuva Sena and the Maharashtra Students Union (MASU) started online petitions against the decision. Yuva Sena, the Shiv Sena’s student wing, wrote to the HRD minister. “The cases have been steadily rising and we cannot be sure they would decline by September,” his letter stated.
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