Didi urges PM to restore UGC’s April guideline on final-yr exam

Didi urges PM to restore UGC’s April guideline on final-yr exam

New Schedule Would Adversely Affect Students, CM Says In Letter

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kolkata:  12.07.2020

Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to get the revised UGC guideline on holding of final-year examinations “re-examined” and restore the advisory it had issued in April.

“I would request you to get the matter re-examined immediately and restore the earlier advisory of UGC issued on April 29. This will facilitate state governments to implement their decisions taken on the basis of the UGC April guideline to protect the interests of the students at national/international levels,” Banerjee wrote.

The Bengal CM, while intimating the PM about the state advisory, said state universities haven’t dumped the UGC advisory making it compulsory for universities to hold formal examinations for final-year students. UGC wanted it with an eye on “academic credibility, career opportunities and future progress of students globally”.

Banerjee stated that state universities will hold a special examination for students willing to take it after the public health situation becomes normal across the country. For others, state universities have devised an alternate evaluation method providing “due weightage to internal assessment and performance of the candidate in the previous semesters”, Banerjee wrote.

The CM threw her weight behind the state plan while writing to the PM two days after education secretary Manish Jain made the “reexamination” appeal to the MHRD, sending out signals that Bengal isn’t quite confident about the Centre’s stance on the issue.

Banerjee wrote to the PM a day after Bengal vice chancellors approved the state plan on Friday. “It may be noted that state-aided universities have taken steps based on the state higher education department advisory. Students, their parents and stakeholders have overwhelmingly appreciated the June 27 state advisory. In fact, I am now receiving hundreds of emails from students and the teaching community raising concern over holding examinations according to revised UGC guidelines,” she said.

Banerjee held that in the prevailing situation, the revised UGC guideline would “adversely affect” students. The Bengal CM also made a mention that some states have “raised concern and voiced their disagreement” on the revised UGC guideline. They include Maharashtra and Punjab. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has announced that he would write to the Prime Minister and the Union home minister seeking cancellation of final-year examinations in universities and colleges in view of the rising Covid-19 graph. Singh also asked for scrapping of the MHA orders dated July 6.

A section of the academia and bureaucracy feels shaky over the “stepping up” of stance in the UGC-versusstate “standoff”. A senior state official pointed out that UGC should have consulted states before coming up with its revised guideline.

An administrator in the education front, however, put forward another view. “UGC is the degree-giving authority. There is no point confronting UGC that might put careers of students at stake,” he said. An official pointed out that higher education is in the Concurrent List. “States should have been consulted before UGC came up with a revised guideline,” the official added.

I would request you to get the matter re-examined immediately and restore the earlier advisory of UGC issued on April 29. This will facilitate state governments to implement their decisions taken on the basis of UGC’s April guideline to protect the interests of the students at national/international levels

MAMATA BANERJEE

Bengal chief minister