Maharashtra: Government mulls over voluntary exams' option for final-year students

Pune: The state government on Saturday decided to explore two options for students in the final-year of their course — graduating the final year by considering an average of marks scored over all previous semesters or appearing for the final exam if they’re unhappy with the average score.

Both options are under scrutiny and the state will look at the legality of the matter before a final call is taken, said chief minister Uddhav Thackeray during a meeting with vice-chancellors of state universities via video conference.

He said uncertainty over the examination process must end to put the minds of students and parents at rest and that can only be done by finalizing the format to conduct the exam and declaring the schedule. He said looking at the spread of Covid-19 infection in the state, it is becoming clear that conducting exams in July, as declared by many universities, seems impossible.

“We gave our opinion on the issue during the meeting. Alternatives were discussed with the CM. Based on the legality of the matter, a decision will be announced by the government in two days,” said Murlidhar Chandekar, vice chancellor of Amravati University.

In a statement issued later, Thackeray said that whatever form of examination is chosen, care must be taken that not a single student is affected by Covid-19. “Everything has been pushed forward due to the pandemic, including the financial year. In the same way, there are multiple proposals on when to start the new academic calendar. However, before that, a final decision must be taken on exams,” he said.

In a statement, higher & technical education minister Uday Samant said, “Alternatives are being considered while keeping in mind the aim to conduct the examination.”