The Ministry of Human Resource and Development recently said the UGC final year exam 2020 of the universities, which had been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, will be held in September. “The terminal semester will be conducted by the universities by the end of September, 2020 in offline (pen and paper) or online or blended (online + offline) mode,” the University Grants Commission (UGC) said.

The decision regarding the UGC final year exam 2020 came after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said it had sent a letter to the Union Higher Education Secretary asking to give permission to universities and institutions to conduct examinations. The home ministry said that the end-of-term examinations are compulsory according to UGC guidelines.

The letter read, “The final Term Examinations are to be compulsorily conducted as per the UGC Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar for the Universities; and as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.”

The apex education regulator announced that the ‘UGC Revised Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calender for the Universities in view of COVID-19 Pandemic’. It read, “In the view of the emerging situation related to COVID-18 pandemic in India, it is important to safeguard the principles of health, safety, fair and equal opportunity for students.”

Those students who have backlog should be evaluated by either offline or online examinations as per their ‘feasibility and suitability’. For final year students unable to appear for the examination, the university must arrange special examination and this provision shall only be applicable for the current academic session 2019-20, the UGC guideline said.

It also read, “In case a student of terminal semester/final year is unable to appear in the examination conducted by the university for whatsoever the reason(s) may be, he or she may be given opportunity to appear in special examinations…which may be conducted by the university as and when feasible, so that the student is not put to any inconvenience or disadvantage.”

The UGC’s panel of experts headed by Haryana University vice-chancellor R C Kuhad was asked on June 25 to review the final-year examination guidelines issued on April 29.

Source: Live Mint

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