Maharashtra universities final years students to take exams, rest will be promoted: Minister Uday Samant

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Higher Education Minister Uday Samant on Friday announced that all university students in the state except final year students will be promoted to the next level. ''Only final year students will sit for exams between July 1 and 30, unless coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown is extended further,'' Minister for Higher and Technical Education Uday Samant said.

Earlier on Thursday, Samant had said in a tweet that a final decision on the status of university examinations will be announced on Friday.

The Minister gave this statement almost a month after forming an expert committee including vice-chancellors of state universities, directors of state Common Entrance Test (CET) cell and Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) as well as other experts, to come up with a concrete plan for the current and next academic year.

“A committee of vice-chancellors presented their report to the government today. The same was discussed with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and the examination dates for higher and technical education will be declared on Friday at 1 pm,” Samant said on Thursday.

Samant made the announcement after consultation with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the governor of the state.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently released guidelines regarding the pending examinations and admission process for the new academic year. Looking at the nation-wide scenario, the guidelines suggested universities to plan for online coaching and improve the existing infrastructure thereby ensuring that the classes are not missed. 

Further, it gave directions for MPhil and Ph.D. students too. The report on the UGC website mentioned that the admission process for the new academic year can be held in August 2020, and the classes for students moving to second and third year can begin from August 1, 2020. 

Classes for the first-year students (fresh batch) can commence from September 1, 2020. However, the authorities stated that these dates were just a suggestion, and the state government can take decisions based on the current scenario of coronavirus outbreak.

In view of the COVID-19 situation, universities have been asked to set up facilitation and counseling centers in all districts to assist students.