Cancel all exams, promote students on past performance: Rahul Gandhi in 'SpeakUpforStudents' campaign

In a video message for the 'SpeakUpforStudents' campaign by the Congress party, the Congress MP is heard saying: "COVID has harmed a lot of people. Our students in schools, colleges, universities have been struggling. IITs have promoted students after cancelling exams. The UGC is creating confusion."

"COVID has harmed many people. Students in schools, colleges and universities are being made to suffer.'

It is extremely unfair to conduct exams during the Covid19 pandemic.

UGC must hear the voice of the students and academics. Exams should be cancelled and students promoted on basis of past performance.#SpeakUpForStudents pic.twitter.com/1TYY3q58i0
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 10, 2020

On Monday, the Union Home Ministry said that the final-term exams in colleges and educational institutions - pending since March because of the lockdown to check the spread of highly infectious coronavirus - can be held.

Hours later, fresh guidelines were released by the UGC that said the exams can be held in September. The UGC is the top body in the country charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.

As a part of the "standard operating procedure" (SOP) for conducting the final-year or end-semester examinations, the educational institutions have been advised to hold the final-year or end-semester exams by September, 2020 in pen-and-paper, online mode or a "blended" mode.

The guidelines were tweeted by Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal "Nishank".

The UGC has revisited its earlier guidelines related to university examinations.
In view of the safety, career progression and placements of the students and their larger interests, after consulting @HMOIndia and @MoHFW_INDIA, it has been decided that pic.twitter.com/evKTYPwnIa
— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) July 6, 2020

Several states have sought reconsideration of the guidelines. On Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh tweeted that he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking cancellation of the exams.

In view of the prevailing #Covid19 situation, have decided to write to PM @NarendraModi ji to request him to review UGC’s decision on holding mandatory examinations for exit classes. We cannot risk the health of our students and, therefore, a pragmatic approach must be adopted. pic.twitter.com/H3KFZXmi3a
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) July 9, 2020

Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal have also expressed concern. "State Government has today sent a letter to MHRD requesting to reconsider the revised guidelines of UGC and not to make conduct of UG & PG final term exams mandatory. MHRD has been requested to allow the State Government to adhere to its decision of cancellation of these exams," the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE), Odisha tweeted on Thursday.

State Government has today sent a letter to MHRD requesting to reconsider the revised guidelines of UGC and not to make conduct of UG & PG final term exams mandatory. MHRD has been requested to allow the State Government to adhere to its decision of cancellation of these exams.
— Higher Education Department, Govt. of Odisha 🇮🇳 (@DHE_Odisha) July 9, 2020

In a letter to the HRD ministry, Bengal's Principal Secretary of Department of Higher Education and School Education Department, Manish Jain said the state should be allowed to implement its own decision by not making the revised Education Ministry's guidelines mandatory.

Defending its decision, the UGC had said earlier this week said that top ranking institutes like Princeton, MIT, University of Cambridge, Imperial College of London, University of Toronto and McMaster, University of Heidelberg and University of Hong Kong have resorted to the online technology-based mode of examinations.