Covid-19 on rise, but MU refuses to cancel exams

A day after the Maharashtra government announced that schools and colleges in the state will remain shut till the end of the month, the University of Mumbai (MU)

A day after the Maharashtra government announced that schools and colleges in the state will remain shut till the end of the month, the University of Mumbai (MU) released a circular addressed to its affiliated colleges, asking them to conduct exams as per schedule.

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MU officials clarified that not only will they continue with scheduled examinations starting March 23, individual colleges too, can hold practical exams and written papers by ensuring safety measures are in place.

“The state government has stated that while schools and colleges need to remain shut, practicals and exams should be conducted as per schedule. We have given the same order to the institutes and also told them to ensure that only those students who have exams on a particular day should be allowed on campus,” said a spokesperson for MU. He added that the university has also sent out a list of precautionary measures for residential colleges.

“Since students will also be staying in large numbers under the same roof, we requested colleges and hostel authorities to ensure all norms of hygiene are followed,” said the spokesperson.

On Sunday, students from various city colleges took to social media to share their concerns about examinations at a time when mass gatherings are being discouraged. A group of students from St Xavier’s College, Fort, started an online petition seeking rescheduling of examinations. By late evening, over 1,000 students had signed the petition.

Some students were also seen requesting rescheduling of the International English Level Testing System (IELTS) exam, especially as the exam centres are spread across the country. The state common entrance test (CET) cell successfully conducted the MH-CET exams for MBA/MMS courses on March 14 and 15 and ensured that all exam centres and venue officers were duly following hygiene and safety measures, as over 1.10 lakh students appeared for the exam over two days.