The MHA on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to allow colleges and universities to open and conduct final term examinations. The new memorandum also signifies a deadline for all the institutions to conclude exams until September 30.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) along with the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has summoned up an affidavit regarding the conduct of final term examinations in higher educational institutions.
“Taking into consideration the academic interest of a large number of students, it was decided to grant the exemption for the opening of educational institutions to hold examinations/evaluation work for final term examinations of the universities/institutions,” the MHA submitted.
The MHA has released the new guidelines for the Unlock 3.0 in which the administration has noted that all educational institutions will remain shut till August 31 and will be restricted to all limited purpose of holding final term examinations/evaluation work.
While the institutions will remain closed until August 31, the University Grants Commission (UGC), on July 6, has ordered all universities and colleges to complete their final term examinations (VIII Semester) by September 30.
The UGC has also provided all the higher educational institutions in the country with the ‘Flexibility’ of conducting any future/remaining examinations through online, offline, or hybrid mode as per the COVID-19 situation.
Despite the uprise in the number of affectees of Coronavirus patients in the country, the Ministry has decided to keep the institutions to be closed until the conditions become safer for the respective students and faculty.
That is why, to assess the students and let them either pursue their higher studies or join the companies they have been offered placements and to be given a fair opportunity at a global scale, the deadline for the examination conduction has been planned.
While each state is eligible to differ their examination conduction period, several state commissions and administrators have written to the MHRD to delay the examination date for some time while considering an official delay.
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A few weeks ago, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi Palaniswami wrote to the MHRD to reconsider the order and said that many colleges in the state have been converted into COVID Care Centres and quarantine centers.
Joining the Tamil Nadu CM’s verdict, Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh has also urged Prime Minister Modi to reconsider the decision of the September 30 deadline and assess the educational system as per the current situations.