Koshyari objects as Maha minister seeks cancellation of varsity exams

Mumbai, May 22 (IANS) Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday took strong exception to Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant’s communication to the UGC to recommend cancellation of final-year examinations for university students in the state.

The Governor sought the intervention of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to resolve the issue and ensure conduct of the said examinations in the larger interest of the students.

Koshyari maintained he was not apprised of the issue by Samant before recommending the exams cancellation.

“Not conducting final-year exams by the universities amounts to breach of University Grants Commission guidelines,” Koshyari wrote to Thackeray, expressing his strong objections to Samant’s letter to the UGC.

He asked Thackeray to issue instructions to Samant over what Koshyari called Samant’s “unwarranted intervention” which was in “violation of UGC guidelines and also the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016”.

The Governor pointed out that as per the Act, universities have the power and duties to hold examinations and confer degrees upon successful students.

He noted that it would not be ‘ethical or appropriate’ to award degrees to final-year students without conducting examinations.

Koshyari said that receiving degrees by students without undertaking any examinations would have an adverse impact on their higher studies, graduation, and employability.

In this context, he referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs exemption to State Education Boards/CBSE/ICSE etc from lockdown measures to conduct Class X and XII examinations.

He said even the UGC has issued guidelines on lockdown measures to cover important aspects related to examinations, academic calendar etc for adoption by the universities.

–IANS

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