Mumbai: The fate of students currently hangs as University exams are yet to be concluded. It was on Wednesday that the Maharashtra government stood before the High Court in Mumbai and stated how the UGC (University Grants Commission) guidelines about holding exams for the final year students by the end of September were not binding to the Universities in the state.
As per the affidavit filed by Dr Dhanaraj Mane, director of higher education, Maharashtra, the commission is bound to consult ‘universities or other bodies concerned’ before it comes to a decision regarding promotion, teaching standards, and research.
While the UGC Act does not specify the ‘other bodies concerned’, because of the pandemic, it must include the disaster management authority or state government, as has been pointed out by Dr Mane. However, it has not been done by UGC before it issued the latest guidleines.
The affidavit came as a reply to a PIL (public interest litigation) which has been filed by Dhananjay Kulkarni, who has challenged a government resolution (GR) which has been issued by the higher education department to not allow the holding of final semester exams in Maharashtra.
While the affidavit also mentions the meeting held with the disaster management authority given the current COVID-19 pandemic, it also highlights how holding the exams will only prove dangerous. In addition, it has also stated how the semester pattern has enabled reducing the important of final examinations unlike earlier times when there were annual exams.
As has been stated in the affidavit, the semester system has enabled changes in not just how courses are conducted but also in the evaluation of students. Hence, these exams are no different from any other semester exams as they don’t carry the decisive value, unlike the former final-year examination.
