Academic calendar set to be reworked

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I have advised UGC to revisit the guidelines issued earlier for intermediate and Terminal Semester examinations and academic calendar. The foundation for revisited guidelines shall be health and safety [of] students, teachers and staff.

nNEW DELHI: Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Wednesday asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to revisit its guidelines on conducting exams and the next academic calendar amid rising Covid-19 cases.

The suggestion came even as the RC Kuhad panel set up to look into the issues related to examinations and the academic calendar in view of the pandemic has recommended that the exams be cancelled.

The panel has suggested that the students be allotted marks according to an appropriate “averaging” formula.

“I have advised the @ugc_india to revisit the guidelines issued earlier for intermediate and Terminal Semester examinations and academic cal

RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK, Union HRD minister

endar. The foundation for revisited guidelines shall be health and safety students, teachers and staff,” Nishank tweeted.

UGC officials said a final decision on the cancellation of exams is yet to be taken.

Officials said they will have to come up with alternative criteria for allotting marks and grades if the exams are cancelled. There is a possibility that a group of students may feel that the criteria chosen are disadvantageous to

them, they added.

UGC, the higher education regulator, had issued the guidelines on the basis of the panel’s report on the next academic session. As per the guidelines, fresh admissions were to be completed in August and classes were scheduled to begin in September. The norms had allowed universities to choose their modes of examinations. Students and teachers across universities had opposed the UGC’S move.