Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD), Ramesh Pokhriyal, on Wednesday, 24 June, said that he has advised the University Grants Commission (UGC) to revisit the guidelines issued earlier for intermediate and terminal semester examinations, and academic calendar.
Pokhriyal said, "The foundation for revisited guidelines shall be health and safety students, teachers and staff."
Following this, UGC has asked the expert committee for examinations and academic calendar to conduct a review and submit a report, ANI reported.
The UGC, in its advisory on 29 April, had said that universities in India might begin their new academic session in August and could replace intermediate semester examinations with internal modes of assessment.
In addition, UGC had also said that the final-year examinations would be held in the month of July.
However, on Wednesday, PTI reported citing officials that exams for final-year students in universities and higher education institutions which were to be held in July, are likely to be cancelled in view of the spike in COVID-19 cases and commencement of new session likely to be deferred to October.
According to a circular issued by the nodal body earlier, universities could begin the 2020-21 academic session from 1 August 2020 for old students and from 1 September 2020 for the fresh batch.
The UGC had issued these advisories following a detailed report from two committees formed under it. While one committee worked on an alternative calendar, the other was tasked with ways to conduct exams.
It remains to be seen what the new guidelines will say about the final-year exams and Intermediate semester exams.
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