State universities will have to conduct final year exams: UGC

The University Grants Commission (UGC) in its affidavit filed before the Bombay high court in public interest litigation, which challenged the government’s decision

The University Grants Commission (UGC) in its affidavit filed before the Bombay high court in public interest litigation, which challenged the government’s decision of not conducting final year exams, has reiterated its stand that all state universities will have to conduct final year exams as per the revised guidelines issued by it, on July 6. The revised guidelines have stated that universities may reduce the time from three hours to two hours without compromising the quality, or conduct the exams through online/offline or blended mode till the end of September 2020. The UGC has submitted that appearing for the final year exams is mandatory and state universities have to adhere to its guidelines.

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The affidavit prepared by Dr Nikhil Kumar, education officer, UGC has mentioned that the UGC had constituted an expert committee under the provisions of the UGC Act to make recommendations regarding the conduction of terminal/final year exams in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The committee in its first decision had recommended that the exams were to be conducted in the month of July. The recommendations issued on April 29, 2020, were in the form of “UGC Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar for the Universities given Covid-19 pandemic and Subsequent Lockdown”.

However, in light of the pandemic, the committee was reconvened and on July 6 it made recommendations to extend the deadline for conducting the terminal or final year exams till the end of September. The revised guidelines, however, also gave the option of reduction in time of the exam or conducting the exam through online, offline or blended mode.

The affidavit further states that it is the apex regulating body for all state universities and hence they have to abide by the guidelines issued from time to time including the guidelines issued.

The affidavit also rebuts the decision of the Maharashtra government to do away with the exams altogether and adopting an evaluation method to grant degrees which is contrary to the guidelines of the apex regulating body. The UGC said, “The decision of the respondent - state of Maharashtra - to hold terminal semester/ final year examinations for undergraduate or postgraduate students of traditional and professional courses (subject to the decision

of the apex regulatory body concerned), at a later date (which may be even beyond September 2020), or to graduate such students and confer on them degrees without appearing for the final year or terminal semester examinations, is contrary to UGC’s guidelines. Such a decision will also be an encroachment on the legislative field of coordinating and determining the standards of higher education which is exclusively reserved for parliament under Entry 66 of List I of Schedule VII of the Constitution.”

The affidavit by UGC was filed after the court sought to know its stand with regards to public interest litigation filed by Dhananjay Kulkarni, a former professor through advocate Uday Warunjikar. Kulkarni had challenged the June 19 resolution of the state government which stated that final year exams would not be held due to the Covid situation in the state and they would be assessed and given degrees based on the assessment of the previous exams.