New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment on a bunch of petitions seeking cancellation of the final year exams in universities and colleges till the COVID-19 situation normalises. The parties to the case have been asked to file written submissions within three days.
The apex court bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan was hearing petitions filed by the students who had challenged the UGC's notification asking the colleges to conduct exams by September-end this year.
Contending grounds for opposing UGC's guidelines were that the present situation would pose health risk; lockdown has prevented teachers from teaching; commuting for students will be difficult in flood-affected states; and that online facilities are not adequate for students to appear online among others.
Pertinently, Delhi and Maharashtra had already announced cancellation of exams reasoning that the UGC can only lay guidelines and not compel the states to conduct exams. However, UGC had opposed it saying that the power lies only with the UGC and not the states to cancel exams.
Today, the court observed that the students are not competent enough to decide by themselves their welfare, and only authorities can do so. It questioned, "Won't not conducting exams lead to dilution of the standards only?"
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Maharashtra pointed out how IITs have conferred degrees without final exams. Further it said that not conducting exams will not prove to be fatal as five out of six semesters have already been completed and internal assessment for the sixth semester is also over, adding that the average of the first five can now be taken. Highlighting that job interviews also take place in the last semester before the final exams, Maharashtra said that students are already done with 87 per cent of the course.
The UGC submitted before the court that consideration of pushing the dates can be made, but degrees cannot be conferred without final exams.
One of the parties argued before the court that the whole issue has been politicised. After meeting of vice chancellors with Maharashtra, which decided that 1st year and 2nd year students should directly be promoted, but 3rd year students must give exam, Yuva sena filed a plea against it. Yuva sena is headed by the Chief Minister's son, remarked the lawyer. Adding on further, he said that after the Sena's plea, SDMA ordered cancelling exams.
It was also questioned that if the state public service exams can be conducted then why can't college exams.
A different bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra yesterday denied postponing NEET and JEE exams and had observed that education should open now as Covid is likely to be there for next year as well and postponement will lead to tremendous loss.
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