Exams Cancelled for Final Year Students, Academic Session to be Deferred till October

Exams for the final year students in universities and higher education institutions which were supposed to be conducted in July are likely to be cancelled due to COVID-19. The new academic session will begin most likely in October. Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' has directed UGC to look at the guidelines which were issued earlier for the intermediate and terminal semester exams and also the academic calendar. As per the officials, a panel, set by the UGC and headed by the Haryana VC RC Kuhad has been given this task of revisiting the guidelines and suggesting alternative options.

The new guidelines are likely to be announced soon. The ministry has conveyed that the revisited guidelines will take into consideration the safety and health of the teachers, students and the staff. The expert committee's opinion is that the exams due in July should be cancelled in accordance with the new academic calendar and final exam marks to be allotted on the basis of the past performance of the students.

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Students who are dissatisfied with the final marks awarded on the basis of the previous exams can take the exams again once the COVID-19 situation gets better and can then improve their scores. The beginning of the new academic session which had been planned earlier from August and from September onwards for the new students is likely to be postponed till October. The final decision in this regard will be announced shortly.

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All the Universities and schools across India have been shut since March 16, 2020, due to the coronavirus outbreak. A nationwide lockdown was also announced on March 24, 2020. Though the lockdown has been lifted now, schools and colleges continue to remain shut.