Tamil Nadu Cancels UG And PG Semester Exams; But No Exemptions For Final Year Students

Tamil Nadu has ordered the cancellation of University semester exams due to rising Covid 19 cases in the state. The order will not be applicable to final year students.

(Representative Image/ PTI)

New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government has cancelled semester exams for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students and will promote them to the next academic year without it. Chief Minister K. Palaniswami issued the order on Thursday and said that students will be allowed to proceed to the next academic year without exams due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report by IANS, the minister said in a statement the decision was taken after a high- level committee was set up to examine the possibility of holding semester exams for college students. The statement also said that studies will be marked according to guidelines followed by University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The order will not apply to students who are in the final year. According to the latest guidelines by the UGC, it is mandatory for universities to conduct final year exams by the end of September. Varsities are allowed to choose any mode for the exams – pen and paper, online, or a combination of both as per the feasibility and suitability. The UGC received a backlash for the new guidelines as there are concerns about safety of students. But despite that, the UGC has said that out of the 640 universities, 454 universities have either conducted the examination or are planning to conduct it. UGC Secretary Prof Rajnish Jain, had said in a report by ANI, "Conducting final year examinations for graduation or post-graduation courses is very important, and the safety of students is our prime concern.”