UGC is likely to issue the revised guidelines with regards to the final year exams in higher education institutions across the nation.
This year remained truly unique with regards to higher education in India. Had things been really smooth, many higher education institutions in India would have by now completed the final year exams.
UGC 2020
But that did not happen owing to outbreak of corona virus. The entire nation went into a lockdown more than three months ago to put a break to the spread of corona virus.
Affairs on all fronts came to a grinding halt. Education sector was not an exception in this regard. All the procedures right from final year exams to the admitting new students came to a grinding halt.
After these students and their parents began worrying over the exams. For a pass in the graduate or post graduate exams is a must for students to commence their career or higher studies.
With no exams being conducted, students and their parents are experiencing anxiety as things do not seem to be moving ahead.
A situation like this can put students in a fix not knowing what to do about their future.
What can one do when the qualification required to start a career or commence higher studies itself is not there? Asks K. Srinivasa Raghavan, a professor in History.
While good number of students may be waiting for final year exams to be conducted, there are also those who do not want exams to be held owing to corona virus situation.
Corona virus has not yet subsided and conducting exams can expose students lives to risk, more can contract the virus, says S. Mohan Kumar, also a retired professor.
UGC has appointed a panel in the recent past. The panel has recommended cancellation of exams for the final year students in universities, colleges located across India.
It was amidst a situation when affairs came to a standstill on the educational arena in the nation owing to corona virus spread that UGC had formed this panel to look into alternative ways to asses students.
This panel formed by UGC put forth a suggestion that students need not write exams and they can be evaluated based on their performance in previous semesters and internal assessments.
Earlier, there was a recommendation that exams must be conducted for final year students and first and second year students could be promoted based on internal assessments and performance in previous semesters.
However, there were representations from teachers and students also regarding conducting of exams.
Even universities too have expressed that conducting exams in the present situation was not possible owing to COVID-19 situation.
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Union Minister of Human Resource Development is also said to have advised UGC to relook the guidelines issued earlier.
The changed guidelines must be based on health and safety of students, teachers and staff, said Union Minister in the twitter account.
A decision is likely to be made by UGC soon. What can be expected from the guidelines is a uniform decision with regards to final year exams and its assessments.
The revised guidelines are expected to have decisions regarding opening of colleges, online learning also. The decision is considered very important.
Lakhs of students of higher education across India are looking towards UGC with eagerness for its decision.
About UGC
In 1952, the Union Government decided that all cases pertaining to the allocation of grants-in-aid from public funds to the Central Universities and other Universities and Institutions of higher learning might be referred to the University Grants Commission.
Consequently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) was formally inaugurated by late Shri Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the then Minister of Education, Natural Resources and Scientific Research on 28 December 1953.
The UGC, however, was formally established only in November 1956 as a statutory body of the Government of India through an Act of Parliament for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education in India.
In order to ensure effective region-wise coverage throughout the country, the UGC has decentralised its operations by setting up six regional centres at Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bhopal, Guwahati and Bangalore.
The head office of the UGC is located at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in New Delhi, with two additional bureaus operating from 35, Feroze Shah Road and the South Campus of University of Delhi as well.