Maharashtra expresses inability to hold exams

Mumbai: A day after University Grants Commission (UGC) announced compulsory exams for final-year students in professional courses, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday expressed its inability to conduct the examinations.
State minister for technical and higher education Uday Samant said, “The state is currently facing a terrible situation due to Covid-19. I have now written to the UGC expressing our inability to hold exams during the pandemic as it might impact students.”

Samant said the UGC cannot ask states such as Maharashtra to hold exams without a standard operating procedure (SOP).

“UGC had said in April that states can decide on their own about holding exams depending on the situation… Based on this, the state had decided to cancel exams for both professional and non- professional courses. The new directions are not in the interest of students,” he said.

Samant said the state will need to take over several institutes and hostels for Covid-19 facilities.

He said guidelines on aspects such as where the question paper is printed and how many students should be seated in one class cannot be issued by UGC.