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Education News
additional quota for EWS, the ceiling demic Diseases Act (1897)
for the preferential/concessional and Disaster Management
admissions will be raised to 59.5 Act (2005).
percent, closing the door on a major- Not prepared to accept
ity of general merit category students the state government’s de-
who top public entrance exams. cision, UGC has challenged
As and when the new Constitution the executive order. Its ar-
bench of the apex court deliberates gument in the apex court is
whether the 49.5 percent affirma- that these Acts cannot “ren-
tive action ceiling prescribed in der the statutory provisions
Indira Sawhney’s Case needs to be of another special Act such
breached in the interests of equity as the University Grants
and social justice, perhaps they Commission Act (1956) nu-
should bear in mind that none of gatory”.
India’s 993 universities — some of Uddhav & Aditya Thackeray: powerful combination “UGC has to consider
them of over 150 years vintage — how impractical it is to con-
are ranked in the World University Although the petitioners are un- duct examinations in these extraordi-
Rankings (WURs) of the authori- sympathetic, UGC had already de- nary times. If social distancing norms
tative London-based HEIs rating ferred the date of the final year exam are observed, each exam centre will
agencies QS and Times Higher from July (as per its April 29 guide- accommodate only ten students. This
Education. line) to September following recom- means 60,000-70,000 teachers will
Autar Nehru (Delhi) mendations of an expert committee have to be deployed as supervisors.
under the chairmanship of R.C. Ku- Moreover, it’s pertinent to note that
MAHARASHTRA had, vice chancellor of Central Univer- 23 percent of college students are
Exams U-turn sity, Haryana. The new order allows from EWS (economically weaker sec-
tion) households. Their homes and
universities options to conduct the
examination online, offline (pen and even some of the nearest exam cen-
here is growing opposition with- paper) or a combination of both. Stat- tres don’t have stable electricity, let
in Maharashtra’s students and ing that certification based on credible alone Internet connection. That’s why
Tparents communities against a evaluation is a “very important mile- online assessments of the past two
UGC (University Grants Commission) stone in any education system”, UGC years have been delayed by four-five
July 6 order directing universities to justifies formal examinations as criti- months. Therefore, online exams are
conduct final year exams of affiliated cal to provide “credibility that is nec- likely to prove very difficult, if not im-
colleges for the academic year 2019- essary for global acceptability”. possible. The better option would be
20 by end-September. With Maha- The state government which en- for colleges to self-assess and provide
rashtra recording the highest number dorsed UGC’s earlier directive had di- provisional results — until exams are
of Covid-19 positive cases in India — rected universities to hold final year held later in the year — so students can
441,000 and 15,576 deaths (August university exams in July despite no apply for jobs asap,” says Tapti Muk-
2) — the state’s Shiv Sena-led Maha- let-up in the Covid spike. However, hopadhyay, president of MFUCTO.
rashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition it has made a U-turn after the Yuva here’s an element of disingenu-
government had cancelled final year Sena, the Shiv Sena’s youth wing Tousness in Mukhopadhyay’s ar-
exams of 1 million final year college headed by Aditya Thackeray, son of gument. At a time when the economy
and university students statewide. chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is in lockdown and unemployment is
However, UGC is adamant these and minister of tourism and environ- at its highest in 45 years, the expec-
examinations are held. In this con- ment, called for cancellation of the tation that university graduates will
nection, several cases are being heard examinations. Writing to UGC (May land jobs on the strength of provi-
in the Bombay high court as well as 17), the state government proposed sional certificates issued by colleges
in the Supreme Court. The latest peti- cancellation of exams questioning the affiliated with universities, is naive.
tioner is the Maharashtra Federation “feasibility of conducting exams of ap- There’s considerable merit in UGC’s
of University and College Teachers proximately 8-10 lakh students while argument that Maharashtra’s 49 uni-
Organisation (MFUCTO) represent- maintaining safety protocols”. On versities have had sufficient time to
ing 30,000 teachers from 11 non- May 31, chief minister Uddhav Thac- prepare for final year exams original-
agricultural and undergrad colleges keray announced a cabinet decision ly scheduled for July. Clearly, UGC
in India’s most industrialised state to cancel the final year college and members are aware that certifying
(pop.115 million). university exams invoking the Epi- graduates without examinations will
18 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2020