Final year university exams by September end, says UGC

The University Grants Commission on Monday asked varsities and affiliated institutions to conduct final semester examinations by the end of September.

The UGC recommended that the examinations be conducted in offline, online or a blended mode.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Commission held on Monday.

“In case a student of terminal semester/ final year is unable to appear in the examination conducted by the University … he/she may be given opportunity to appear in special examinations for such course(s)/ paper(s), which may be conducted by the university as and when feasible, so that the student is not put to any disadvantage, the Commission added.

“The above provision shall be applicable only for the current academic session 2019-20 as a one-time measure,” it said.

The Commission said intermediate semester students will be evaluated based on internal assessment, as per guidelines issued earlier.

The Commission noted that while it was important to safeguard the health, safety and fair opportunity for students, it was very crucial to ensure academic credibility, career opportunities and future progress of students globally.

“Academic evaluation of students is a very important milestone in any education system,” it noted.

The Commission said performance in examinations gave confidence and satisfaction to students and was a reflection of competence, performance and credibility that is necessary for global acceptability.

Various examinations conducted by universities and higher education institutions in the country have been suspended since March in the light of Covid-19 outbreak.

Earlier, a UGC panel had recommended that final year examinations could be held in July.