SC Orders Final Year Exams Before Awarding Degrees, Supports The UGC Stand
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2020-08-28 19:06:07
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
The Supreme Court has rightly ruled that no degrees can be awarded without holding the final year exams in any university. The UGC had previously asked all universities to conduct the exams for final year students by September 30 through offline, online or a combination module. The apex court has allowed states to defer the same under the Disaster Management Act if the situation does not permit the holding of the same. These states can consult the UGC on the suitable date for holding the exams. But under no condition can universities award degrees without holding the final year exams and only on the basis of internal assessment.
This is as it should be. The final year exams test a student on the entire knowledge he/she gained during the course and are vital in grading for either further studies or job readiness. Any student who is not properly graded for the knowledge he/she gained by taking up the course will not be nationally or globally competitive. The UGC had said in its revised guidelines in July this year that "in view of the emerging situation related to COVID-19 pandemic in India, it is important to safeguard the principles of health, safety, fair and equal opportunity for students. At the same time, it is very crucial to ensure academic credibility, career opportunities and future progress of students globally. Academic evaluation of students is a very important milestone in any education system."
There can be no disputing this fact. A degree without final evaluation has no value. It is well known that internal assessment marks are awarded without strict checks. But there is also the question of final year students missing the whole final semester due to the pandemic. One knows that online classes were held during the period but they can never compensate for classroom study. Ideally, there should be a month of classroom lectures to allow students to clear their doubts with their teachers. Hence, the UGC should push back the deadline to November 15. It is expected that the government will allow educational institutions to reopen in October. The final year exams can be held after one month of classroom study.
