UGC issues procedure for conducting exams
NEWDELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday released a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) on how to conduct tests in the midst of a global pandemic, stating that students with cold, cough, fever or other symptoms of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) should be given a chance to sit for their exam on another day, or at the very least be made to sit in another room to write the paper.
The UGC, which has mandated that all varsities hold final year exams by September 30, said that at least two meters between candidates should be maintained, and invigilators should wear masks and gloves.
In a letter to all 40 central varsities sent out on Wednesday, the UGC said that the Human Resources Development ministry had formulated the SOP, and it has been vetted by the Health ministry. The SOP clarified that in areas where movement is restricted such as in containment zones, students’ admit cards or student identity cards could double as travel passes. States should issue instructions to ensure that invigilators are issued passes.
Exam functionaries would have to submit a self-declaration form about their health status and thermo-gun checks should be made available at all entrances.
There should be signs on social distancing at exam centres, and the SOP recommended that everyone involved in the exam process use the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones.
The SOP further said that all floors, gates, walls, doors, furniture, elevators and even staircase railings in an examination centre would have to be disinfected. Sanitisers would have to be placed at the entrance and other places in the exam centre.
Crowds must be avoided at entrance and exit points, the SOP said. It further stated that records of exam functionaries and students should be maintained in case contact tracing needed to be done in the future.
In a move backed by Human resources development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the UGC decided that exams were a must for all final year students.