Bhubaneswar: Higher Education minister Arun Sahoo Thursday wrote a letter to Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal requesting him to reconsider the revised guidelines of UGC and not to make UG and PG final semester examinations mandatory.
MHRD has been requested to allow the state government to adhere to its decision of cancellation of these examinations, Sahoo said.
In the letter minister Sahoo argued that at present it is very risky to conduct examinations with more than two lakh students in the classrooms. He urged Pokhriyal to review the decision in view of the rising situation.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs in a letter to Union Higher Education Secretary allowed the conduct of examinations by universities and colleges.
In the letter, it is said that the final semester examinations are to be conducted mandatorily as per the UGC guidelines and as per the SOP approved by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
After the decision, the Odisha government had said that it will take a call on the issue after a thorough review of the situation.
Talking to Orissa POST, vice-chairman of the Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC) Ashok Das had said that the decision taken by the ministry is being analysed by the government who is aware of the situation and understands the issues of the students and their health in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
“A decision to conduct the final semester examinations of the undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) streams will be taken after a thorough review,” he had added.
Meanwhile, the final semester examination will be conducted by the universities towards the end of September.
Earlier, minister Sahoo June 11 had announced the cancellation of final semester examinations of UG and PG students and had said that the marks will be awarded after analyzing the previous semester marks.