Days after the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued guidelines clearing way for universities to hold final-year or end-semester exams in online, offline or “blended” mode, Punjab Government has written to the Central Government and the higher education regulator to reconsider its decision.

Notably, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had already announced cancellation of university and college exams,

both Government and private, followed by issuance of formal orders by the Director of Public Instructions (Colleges) to the Vice-Chancellors of all Government and Private Universities to promote the students on the basis of their previous years’ performance, besides a chance to improve their results once the COVID-19 crisis ends.

A day later, the higher education regulator, UGC, has issued revised guidelines after receiving a go ahead from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to mandatorily conduct final-year college and university exams.Besides Punjab, the states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal had also decided to cancel the final-year exams amid the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate the risk of exposure for students, as the prospect of online exams seemed unfeasible to implement.

Now, the Punjab Government has written to the Union Minister of Higher Education and the UGC — higher education watchdog, asserting that conducting examinations amidst the corona outbreak was not possible in the State considering the rising number of cases and the growing threat posed by it.

The Government also argued that currently, almost all the college or university hostels across the State have been vacated.At the same time, the government also highlighted the broad rural-urban divide in the state pointing at the “fewer facilities” available for taking the online exams.

A senior government official told The Pioneer that we have discussed the matter and have decided to appeal to the Centre and the UGC to reconsider its decision of consisting exams, as the situation, not only in Punjab, but across the country, is alarming.As per the State Government’s guidelines issued on Sunday, all the students in terminal or exit classes or semesters will be awarded degrees or diplomas provided their average grades,

marks or CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) on the basis of previous exams or semesters, are over and above the minimum pass grades, marks or CGPA (as per norms or regulations of the individual university).

At the same time, the students of exit or intermediate classes will also be given the option to take exams as and when they are held to improve their grades, if they desire to do so.The guidelines maintained that all the students in intermediate classes will be promoted to the next class or semester or year.

But all those students scoring average grades, marks or CGPA, less than the minimum pass figure, will have to clear the exams of that semester as and when they are held to be eligible for award of degree.

It was also stated that the universities, which are in the process of conducting online exams, have been directed to continue with the same with the permission of the state Higher Education Department.It has also been clarified that the guidelines are “not applicable” to the institutions under Department of Medical Education and Research and Health.