UGC Hearing in Supreme Court: Final Year Examination Before September 30? All You Need to Know | Earth Indian

UGC Hearing in Supreme Court: The Supreme Court on Friday will continue hearing a batch of pleas, challenging the UGC guidelines asking universities to conduct final year examinations before September 30. The hearing has been going on.

Here are the top developments:

1. The UGC on Thursday justified in the Supreme Court its decision directing all universities and institutions to hold final year or semester examinations in September saying it was done to protect the academic future of students across the country.

2. Students are demanding cancellation of the exams as there are many students who won’t be able to sit for online exams because of various situations including the floods in Assam and Bihar.

3. The University Grants Commission (UGC) filed a 50-page affidavit on a batch of petitions, including the one filed by Shiv Sena’s youth wing Yuva Sena.

4. The UGC said it has issued such guidelines to “protect the academic future of students across the country which will be irreparably damaged if their final year/terminal semester examinations are not held, while also keeping in mind their health and safety”.

5. Maharashtra and Delhi governments have announced cancelling the final year examinations of state universities. But the UGC said states can’t take such a decision.

6. The UGC justified the revised guidelines issued on July 6 and said that it adequately takes into account the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic because it provide sufficient time till the end of September 2020 to conduct the final year or terminal semester examinations after following the prescribed protocols and procedures relating to COVID-19.

7. It gives sufficient flexibility to universities/ institutions to conduct such examinations online, offline (pen and paper) or blended (online + offline) mode and provide for an examination through the special chance for students who “for whatsoever the reason(s) may be” are unable to appear for the examination conducted by a university/institution by end of September 2020, the UGC said.

8. It said that the Universities or Institutions may conduct such special examinations as and when feasible so that the students concerned are not put to any inconvenience or disadvantage.

By Shivam Urkude || Earth Indian