HRD Minister Advises UGC to Revise Exam & Academic Calendar Guidelines, Says Safety of Students & Staff Should be Key

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Wednesday advised the University Grants Commission (UGC) to revise the guidelines it had earlier issued with regards to the examinations and academic calendar.

The UGC last month had issued guidelines during the second phase of the coronavirus-induced lockdown on the Examinations and Academic Calendar, recommending the admission process be started from August 1-31.

Later, the Delhi University (DU) had said examinations for final year postgraduate and undergraduate students, including those for students registered with the School of Open Learning (SOL) and Non Collegiate Women Education Board (NCWEB), will begin from July 1 in Open Book Examination (OBE) mode. This will also be revisited by the UGC.

Pokhriyal in a tweet said he has advised the 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 students, teachers and staff," he added.

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) was against the OBE decision from the day of announcement and in the preceding days had conducted surveys to find out the gap between the decision and the ground realities of students considering not many have access to internet and electronic devices.

The DUTA on Wednesday welcomed Pokriyal's advisory to the UGC. "The DUTA has been opposing Delhi University's decision to hold OBE as it is discriminatory towards a large section of students and erodes the sanctity of the examination process," it said in a statement. "The DUTA's position stands vindicated with this announcement and is a victory of the collective efforts of students and teachers who have been protesting against the OBE."