Expert panel to chart out plan for safe final year university exams

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Confusion over the final year university exams has finally come to an end with the Supreme Court delivering a verdict in the matter. As the top court said that the examinations could not be cancelled, when and how the state government will conduct them still remains a question. However, the Maharashtra government has decided to form a committee of experts who would plan the process and focus on safely conducting the exams. Students, on the other hand, are upset over the fact that the confusion led to a lot of them missing out on higher education opportunities.

Deadline can be relaxed

The SC has said that the deadline of September 30 set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) could be relaxed depending on the situation in a particular state. Speaking about the order, Maharashtra Higher Education Minister Uday Samant said, "I will be visiting universities in different parts of the state to understand the local circumstances. I will also hold discussions with district-level authorities to decide on a formula to safely conduct the exams."

Samant further informed that a committee of experts comprising the vice-chancellors of different universities would be formed to brainstorm on ways to conduct the examinations safely, and after that students would be informed about it. He ensured that the government would give adequate notice to the students before holding the exams. When asked whether the state government plans to submit a review petition in the SC as it has done in the case of NEET-JEE examinations, he said, "This matter has not been discussed. We will speak to the chief minister and decide accordingly."

'Doesn't matter anymore'

Reacting to the SC order, a final year student, Aakash Kolekar said, "After waiting for so long to get clarity on the issue, it really doesn't matter anymore as most of us have already lost our higher education opportunities. Even if they conduct exams before September 30, the other processes including evaluation, declaration of results, marksheets and final transcripts will take a lot of time. And it's not feasible to complete them in time. This decision shouldn't have been pushed so much."
Adding to it, another student Karan Joshi said, "First of all, the exams should not be conducted. But now if they want to conduct them, the focus should be on alternative modes such as online platforms as it is not feasible for all to travel in such circumstances." While the state government has decided to follow the SC judgment, Yuva Sena, which was one of the petitioners in the case, has decided to keep mum on the issue.

Siddharth Ingle from Maharashtra Students' Union, which had sought cancellation of the final year exams, said, "We are bound to obey the SC judgment but not bound to respect it. Around 10 students' organisations like us are planning to come together for a meeting to brainstorm on how to ensure that the guidelines for the examinations are student-friendly."

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