Chalk out contingency plan to conduct exams: Maharashtra government tells universities

The state minister for higher and technical education Uday Samant clarified that examinations will be conducted later this year. All state and private universities have been requested to put together a contingency plan for examinations in summer, after the lockdown is lifted.

The lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19 has pushed the university education system to develop contingency measures after examinations for the 2019-20 academic year were disrupted. There is also uncertainty about the commencement of the next academic year.

Educationists and experts have raised concerns about the domino effect of the delay due to lockdown imposed to curb the coronavirus outbreak. (M ZHAZO/ HT photo)

In separate virtual meetings, the state minister for higher and technical education Uday Samant clarified that examinations will be conducted later this year. All state and private universities have been requested to put together a contingency plan for examinations in summer, after the lockdown is lifted.

Educationists and experts have raised concerns about the domino effect of this delay.

“We have suggested the academic year 2020-21 be pushed from June 2020 to October 2020, so that colleges have enough time to conduct second-term exams for the current batch in June and finish assessment by September, in time to start a new academic year in October,” said TA Shiware, chairman of the Mumbai Association of Non-Government Colleges. A suggestion along these lines has already been shared with the state government and Mumbai University.

Last week, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced the second phase of joint entrance examination (JEE) Mains will now be held in the last week of May. About 9 lakh students have registered for this exam, which was originally scheduled to take place between April 5 and April 11. NTA has issued a statement saying the next possible dates will be announced after April 15. Following this announcement, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi announced that the JEE Advanced exam will also be postponed to the last week of May, hinting at a delay in admissions to engineering institutes across the country.

“If the state CET cell as well as the NTA can manage to conduct the entrance exams by May 15, we can still regularise admissions to start the academic year in time. However, any further delay will lead to a bigger delay in the commencement of the next academic year,” said Gopakumaran Thampi, principal of Thadomal Shahani Engineering College in Bandra.

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test NEET for undergraduate medical and dental aspirants too has been postponed and while results of NEET-PG were released in February, admissions have been stalled owing to the lockdown at present.

“Whatever the decision, the government has made it very clear that students will not be at a loss. Neither will their academics be compromised, nor the exams and results. Education institutes are working very hard to ensure this,” said Abhay Wagh, director, state Directorate of Technical Education (DTE).