Cancel exams, promote students based on past performance: Rahul

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 10 July, slammed the University Grants Commission (UGC) over the conduct of exams amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Saying that it is "extremely unfair to conduct exams during the pandemic", Gandhi accused the UGC of creating confusion, while asking the body to cancel exams and promote students on the basis of past performance.

"Our students in schools, colleges and universities, have had to endure a lot due to COVID-19. IITs and colleges have cancelled exams and promoted children. UGC is creating confusion. UGC should also cancel exams and promote students on the basis of past performance," he said in a video message.

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

The Congress is running a campaign called 'Speak Up for Students', saying that BJP government has failed in coming up with student-friendly policies. "We all have to come together and raise the concerns of the student community out loud," the party said in a tweet on Friday.

Gandhi's comments come days after the UGC, on 6 July, said that final-year university examinations may be conducted by the end of September, either online, offline or through a combination of both.

The announcement had been made by Union Human Resource Development Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal, who said that the guidelines were revisited keeping in mind the “safety, career progression and placements of the students.”

The guidelines also said that in case a student is unable to write final-year exams, he/she can appear for a special examination at a later period, as and when feasible.

For students of the first and second semester, there have been no change in guidelines. This means that universities can evaluate students on the basis of internal assessment and marks scored in previous semesters, if they are unable to conduct exams due to the prevailing situation.