Chief Minister Uddhav thackeray has asked regulatory bodies to provide guidelines regarding cancelled exams
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to instruct apex regulatory bodies for professional programmes to “endorse the decision of state governments” and provide “necessary guidelines” regarding cancellation of major examinations. Maharashtra cancelled all exams for both professional and non-professional courses last week.
The Chief Minister's request was concerning professional courses which come under central regulatory bodies such as All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Council of Architecture (COA), Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), Bar Council of India (BCI), National Council of Teachers Education (NCTE) and National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology.
Mr Thackeray also wrote in his social media post that "the State has also decided to award degrees based on the formula decided by the universities".
Exams Cancelled
In his letter to PM Modi, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said: “I request you to instruct above mentioned national level apex bodies to endorse the decision of the state government regarding cancellation of final year and final semester examinations of the professional courses and to issue necessary guidelines to the universities in this regard.”
Some bodies already have issued directions. The University Grants Commission, or UGC, had set guidelines on exams, admissions and the academic year in May and they were endorsed by the AICTE. The Bar Council of India, too, has released guidelines, cancelling exams for most students. Then, this week, the UGC was asked to "revisit" those guidelines.
Mr Thackeray said that the decision regarding cancellation of exams for final year students was taken as conducting examinations amid the pandemic “may prove to be an enormous task”. Mr Thackeray said that a similar request regarding uniform guidelines was put up by him on June 16 during the Chief Ministers' web conference with PM Modi.
The state had already decided to promote first-year and second-year students without conducting exams.