Maharashtra Universities: Exams Only For Final Year Students, Others Will Be Promoted Without Exams

The Maharashtra government has decided to promote all the students of first year and second year, studying in various universities in the state, without any exam. However, it has decided to promote third year students on the basis of examination.

Maharashtra State Higher & Technical Education Minister Uday Samant has announced today that the All university students in Maharashtra, except those in the final year, will be promoted to the next class without examination due to COVID19 lockdown. He also said that examination for final year students will be held in July.

All university students in Maharashtra, except those in the final year, will be promoted to the next class without examination due to #COVID19 lockdown. The final year examinations will be held in July: State Higher & Technical Education Minister Uday Samant (File photo) pic.twitter.com/GW3W6X5FMS

— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2020

With this, top universities of the state like the Mumbai University will now promote first year and second year students. The Universities are expected to release the date sheet for final year students later.

The lockdown in place for the novel coronavirus outbreak led to the postponement of examinations of the 13 non-agricultural universities.

Mr Samant said the decision was taken after discussions with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray.

He, however, said the decision will be reviewed on June 20 if the situation triggered by COVID-19 persists and the lockdown period is extended.

The minister said first and second year students will be given grades and marks while they are promoted to the next class.

He said 50 per cent of the grades will depend on the internal assessment and the remaining half will be based on his/her performance in the previous semester. In case any student is unhappy with the grades given, he can opt to appear for an examination and a decision in this connection can be taken at the university-level. In case students fail in this examination, they will be promoted to the next class, but will have to re-appear for the subject in which they have failed, the minister said.

The minister said in case of two-year, four-year and five-year courses, students of final semesters (that is 4th, 8th and 10th semester respectively) will appear for the examinations.

On Thursday, Aaditya Thackeray had tweeted on the road map for university students that the government is planning to release within maximum 2 days. The Education Minister's announcement comes a day after that. To students who were worried about exams, he had said to calm down and trust the minister. "Like I said, it will be a plan that is fair to all," he had tweeted on Thursday.

To all the university students from Maharashtra worried and tweeting/ texting me on their exams/ academic year, I'd suggest not to worry. Minister @meudaysamant ji has been consulting all VCs and will be declaring a road map for all such students across Maharashtra in max 2 days

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) May 7, 2020

Meanwhile, third year students are unhappy with this decision. Many students started tweeting their concerns on social media immediately after the Education Minister's announcement.

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