Decision to scrap final year exams void: UGC

The Supreme Court will continue hearing pleas challenging the final-year examination guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) today. The hearing is expected to begin at around 11 am.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of 31 students from Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, and other states have demanded that final year students be promoted on the basis of their past performance as opposed to the UGC guidelines that mandate final year examinations by September-end.

In one of the latest guidelines, UGC has permitted universities to promote intermediate semester students on the basis of internal assessment and past performance. However, for final year students, the examination is still said to be mandatory which could be held in online, offline, or blended (online and offline) mode.