Maharashtra can’t conduct final-year exams, state education minister writes to Union HRD ministry

A day after the University Grants Commission (UGC) accepted a recommendation by an expert committee, clarifying that universities should conduct end-of-term exams

A day after the University Grants Commission (UGC) accepted a recommendation by an expert committee, clarifying that universities should conduct end-of-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 conduct the exams.

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“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, government of India 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,” stated his 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.

“The UGC’s decision will be applicable to all the states but the Covid-19 situation is not the same everywhere. Maharashtra is facing a grave situation at present 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?” asked TA Shiware, chairman of the Mumbai Association of Non-Government Colleges.

Teacher groups too feel that the UGC’s decision has been taken without understanding the ground reality.

“UGC in its decision in April made exams optional, but now when the Covid-19 cases are at an all -time high, it are making exams mandatory, which is very illogical,” said Tapati Mukhopadhyay president the Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisation (MFUCTO).

She added that forcing lakhs of students to appear for exams at different colleges, some of which have been used as quarantine centres, any time soon will be putting the lives of students as well as the teachers conducting the exams in danger.

“As a teacher organisation, we are against the decision by UGC and stand by our students’ safety. The central government should leave the decision on the state governments,” she added.

Several student organisations too have criticised the UGC’s decision. Many called the revised guidelines issued by the UGC on exams and the academic calendar as “utterly pointless, unreasonable and unfair to students, teachers and educational institutes.”

“The commission’s suggestion to conduct exams in online, offline or blended modes is detached from the ground reality. Despite the relaxations provided by the Centre, many parts of the country continue to remain under strict lockdown imposed by the state governments and local bodies, rendering offline examinations impossible and also undesirable. Several colleges, especially those located in the remote parts of the country, lack the necessary infrastructure for conducting online examinations. Reports have pointed out that a large number of students don’t have access to the Internet or digital equipment. These students will suffer if exams are conducted online,” said Mohammad Salman, south Maharashtra president of Students’ Islamic Organisation.

He added that the guidelines will only to confusion and anxiety among students, and at worst, will disturb the academic calendar of universities, create health issues and put additional burden on teachers and colleges.

Many student organisations, including the Yuva Sena and the Maharashtra Students Union (MASU) started online petitions against the implementation of the latest recommendations by the UGC- appointed committee.

Yuva Sena general secretary Varun Sardesai outlined the concerns on behalf of the students and questioned the logic behind holding the exams at a time when the Covid-19 cases in the country have crossed the 7-lakh figure. Sardesai said that Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has already taken a decision to cancel the final-year exams, and given students an option to take voluntary exams for better grades.

“When exams were originally scheduled, Covid cases were far lesser and it had not reached all parts of our country. The cases have been steadily rising and we cannot be sure they would decline by September,” his letter stated to the minister.

“Lakhs of final year students have secured jobs as campus placements or enrolled in private Indian universities or foreign universities. Exams in September would mean they effectively lose all these opportunities,” Sardesai said in the letter.

The youth leader said that the decision by the Centre has caused “confusion, panic and immense stress” among students and the education fraternity. He has also started an online petition, seeking the cancellation of final-year exams.

“Yesterday, the UGC made final-year exams compulsory, and therefore, Yuva Sena has raised its voice against it and written to the HRD Minister. When the cases are increasing by the day, is the government expecting any vaccine or medicine to be developed by September? Secondly, they have given options for online and offline exams, but we all know that in rural India the Internet infrastructure is weak. If exams are conducted offline, the university staff and students are likely to get infected with coronavirus,” Sardesai said.

(with inputs from Swapnil Rawal)