Maharashtra not to conduct final year exams amid COVID-19

After a majority of Maharashtra's University Vice Chancellors voted against the holding of final exams in the wake of COVID 19, Maharashtra's State Disaster Management issued a notification on cancelling the final year exams. Meanwhile, a group of students from Maharashtra have moved to the Supreme Court against the notification of cancelling final year exams by the State Disaster Management Authority.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government has informed the Supreme Court that the State Disaster Management Authority has taken the decision of not holding final year examinations of both professional and non-professional courses in the state.

According to reports, after a majority of Maharashtra's University Vice Chancellors voted against the holding of final exams in the wake of COVID 19, Maharashtra's State Disaster Management issued a notification on cancelling the exams.

The affidavit has been filed in compliance with an order of the Top Court's order dated July 31, 2020, asking the Maharashtra Government to place on record notification dated June 18, 2020, issued by the State Disaster Management Authority, intimating that all final year/semester examinations in Maharashtra stand cancelled and students shall be passed on the basis of their previous years'/semesters' marks.

Significantly, UGC had filed its affidavit on July 31, claiming that the direction to hold final year examinations by September 30 was issued to "protect the academic future of students". It further stated that conducting examinations for final year students is necessary to test them on "specialized elective courses" studied by them during the terminal year.

"Various aspects such as the prevailing alarming COVID 19 situation in the entire state, lockdown imposed by various municipal bodies, declared containment zones, college buildings being used as isolation centres and the view was put forth by the majority of vice-chancellors that it is not possible to conduct the examinations in the state," an official said.

Meanwhile, a group of students from Maharashtra have moved to the Supreme Court against the notification of cancelling final year exams by the State Disaster Management Authority.

The students have contended that the power to cancel exams with the University Grants Commission(UGC) and not with the SDMA. Moreover, their fundamental right to life and education is impacted by such notification as they won't be able to get a respectable degree and education.