Rahul Gandhi urges UGC to cancel varsity exams amid pandemic

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today sought the University Grants Commission (UGC) to cancel varsity examinations and promote students based on their past performance. He said the UGC was creating confusion.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday expressed his disappointment over University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines on exams amid COVID-19 pandemic and urged UGC to promote students based on their past performance by cancelling varsity examinations.

In a video message, Gandhi said, "COVID has harmed a lot of people. Students in various universities had to suffer a lot due to this pandemic. IITs and other colleges have cancelled the exams and promoted their students. But UGC is creating confusion."

The Congress leader released his video as a part of the party's social media campaign #SpeakUpForStudents, against the revised guidelines released by UGC,

recently.

• It is extremely unfair to conduct exams during the Covid19 pandemic.
  
  UGC must hear the voice of the students and academics. Exams should be cancelled and students promoted on basis of past performance.#SpeakUpForStudents pic.twitter.com/1TYY3q58i0

  — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 10, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  It is extremely unfair to conduct exams during the Covid19 pandemic.
  
  UGC must hear the voice of the students and academics. Exams should be cancelled and students promoted on basis of past performance.#SpeakUpForStudents pic.twitter.com/1TYY3q58i0

  — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 10, 2020

  ">

  It is extremely unfair to conduct exams during the Covid19 pandemic.
  
  UGC must hear the voice of the students and academics. Exams should be cancelled and students promoted on basis of past performance.#SpeakUpForStudents pic.twitter.com/1TYY3q58i0

  — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 10, 2020

In his tweet, Rahul Gandhi stated, "It is extremely unfair to conduct exams during COVID-19 pandemic. UGC must hear the voice of the students and academics.

Exams should be cancelled and students promoted on the basis of past performance."

A number of students are raising their voices, while posting their videos on social media, appealing to the Government with the same demands. Students are also appealing to the Government to waive off their fees for the next 6 months.

• I support the justified demands for 6-month fee waiver & cancellation of exams. The govt should also waive all interests on student loans. Union & state governments must have a comprehensive plan to save the education sector before lasting damage is done. #SpeakUpForStudents

  — Anand Sharma (@AnandSharmaINC) July 10, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  I support the justified demands for 6-month fee waiver & cancellation of exams. The govt should also waive all interests on student loans. Union & state governments must have a comprehensive plan to save the education sector before lasting damage is done. #SpeakUpForStudents

  — Anand Sharma (@AnandSharmaINC) July 10, 2020

  ">

  I support the justified demands for 6-month fee waiver & cancellation of exams. The govt should also waive all interests on student loans. Union & state governments must have a comprehensive plan to save the education sector before lasting damage is done. #SpeakUpForStudents

  — Anand Sharma (@AnandSharmaINC) July 10, 2020

"I support the justified demands for 6-month fee waiver and cancellation of exams. The Government should also waive all interest on student loans. Union and

State governments must have a comprehensive plan to save the education sector before lasting damage is done," tweeted Congress senior leader and former Union Minister Anand Sharma.

• I support the call to #cancelallexams under UGC. This is the essential demand behind @nsui ‘s campaign #SpeakUpForStudents. Given the disruption to academics, evaluation based on past performance is the most practical. pic.twitter.com/GBc07q1IFc

  — Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) July 10, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  I support the call to #cancelallexams under UGC. This is the essential demand behind @nsui ‘s campaign #SpeakUpForStudents. Given the disruption to academics, evaluation based on past performance is the most practical. pic.twitter.com/GBc07q1IFc

  — Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) July 10, 2020

  ">

  I support the call to #cancelallexams under UGC. This is the essential demand behind @nsui ‘s campaign #SpeakUpForStudents. Given the disruption to academics, evaluation based on past performance is the most practical. pic.twitter.com/GBc07q1IFc

  — Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) July 10, 2020

In another video, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, "I support the call to #cancelallexams under UGC. This is the essential demand behind NSUI's campaign #SpeakUpForStudents. Given the disruption to academics, evaluation based on past performance is the most practical."

However, the revised guidelines of UGC has also mentioned that those students who will be unable to appear in final-year exams in September, will get another chance in "special exams" which will be conducted by universities "as and when feasible".

The decision has also got a nod from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.