India / Kejriwal writes to PM, urges him to cancel final year exams of central universities

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his intervention in the matter of final year exams in Universities across the country.

"For the sake of our youth, I urge Hon'ble PM to personally intervene and cancel final year exams of DU and other central govt universities and save the future," tweeted Mr. Kejriwal.

"If institutes like IIT and NLU have already awarded degrees to their students on the basis of internal assessment, then why can't other universities do the same? Several global universities have also awarded degrees on the basis of internal assessment in the time of corona pandemic" wrote Mr. Kejriwal.

Several states including Delhi have already issued directions to the state universities to cancel examinations and award degrees. But for central universities, which include Delhi University, the centre will have to make a decision, he wrote.

"UGC and MHRD have refused to overturn their decision on the university exams. It seems that your intervention may resolve the issue. I humbly request you to review the centre and UGC's decision in the best interest of students and cancel the final semester exams, so that student’s future could be saved," he writes

The Delhi Government, on July 11, cancelled final year examinations in all state universities. "Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures," said Manish Sisodia, Delhi Education Minister, in a press conference.

Mr. Sisodia announced that classes have been suspended in colleges since March and it was difficult to conduct exams for a semester for which classes were not held.

The matter of college examinations for the final year or semester students has been a point of contention for quite some time. HRD Ministry, upon request from students, had asked University Grants Commission (UGC) to review its notification about conducting final year examinations. UGC came out with a revised guideline which said that universities must conclude final year or semester examinations by September 30. The revised guidelines now pose a new problem for states like Odisha, and Maharashtra that have already cancelled university exams in the respective states.