HRD minister asks UGC to revisit exam guidelines
NEW DELHI: Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Wednesday asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to revisit its guidelines on conducting exams and the next academic calendar amid rising Covid-19 cases.
The suggestion came even as the R C Kuhad panel set up to look into the issues related to examinations and the academic calendar in view of the pandemic has recommended that the exams be cancelled. The panel has suggested that the students be allotted marks according to an appropriate “averaging” formula.
“I have advised the @ugc_india to revisit the guidelines issued earlier for intermediate and Terminal Semester examinations and academic calendar. The foundation for revisited guidelines shall be health and safety students, teachers and staff,” Nishank tweeted.
UGC officials said a final decision on the cancellation of exams is yet to be taken.
Officials said they will have to come up with alternative criteria for allotting marks and grades if the exams are cancelled. There is a possibility that a group of students may feel that the criteria chosen are disadvantageous to them, they added.
UGC, the higher education regulator, in April issued the guidelines on the basis of the panel’s report on the next academic session. As per the guidelines, fresh admissions were to be completed in August and classes were scheduled to begin in September. The guidelines allowed universities to choose their modes of examinations.
Students and teachers, including those from the Delhi University, opposed the guidelines.
The Delhi University Teachers Association urged vicechancellor Yogesh Tyagi to cancel the open book exams the university plans to conduct.
Nishank’s tweet came a day after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that deliberations for cancelling remaining Class 10 and 12 board exams are at an advanced stage and a final decision in this regard was likely to get finalised by Wednesday.
The court last week asked CBSE, which is scheduled to conduct the exams from July 1 to 15, to consider scrapping the exams in response to a plea from a group of parents.
Officials said the ministry feels conducting exams is not very conducive given the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
Several state governments have expressed concerns about holding board exams.
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that the Indian School Certificate Examination board cannot be permitted to conduct its pending exams in July.
CBSE will inform the Supreme Court about its decision on Thursday.