Odisha government urges UGC to extend final year examination deadline to October 10

Odisha government has approached UGC to increase the deadline to conduct the final year exams to do the necessary preparations. 

The Odisha government has urged the University Grants Commission (UGC) to extend the deadline of the final year university exams for all Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses from Septemeber 30 to October 10. Higher Education Department Secretary Saswat Mishra on behalf of the Chief Minister and Chairman of the State Disaster Management Authority Naveen Patnaik has written to UGC mentioning that if the deadline is extended that it will ensure scheduling of the exams with at least one day gap so that the test centers can be sanitised properly.

Preparedness to conduct the examinations was discussed with University Vice-chancellors and principals of autonomous colleges during a meeting held through video-conferencing.

"All of them are of the view that since they had earlier not planned to conduct final semester/year UG and PG examinations, about 25 days time would be required to make necessary preparation for conducting the examinations," the letter was written to the UGC secretary mentioned. Therefore the conduct of the examinations can commence from September 20, it said.

"Secondly, since there will be multiple examinations (subject-wise and paper-wise), three to four examinations need to be slotted on all days, till 30.09.2020, so as to complete the examinations by 30.09.2020. Conducting examinations every day, without any gap, will also lead to universities and colleges not getting enough time to sanitise and disinfect the examination centers before the next day of examination. "All vice-chancellors and principals, therefore, requested for extension of the 30.09.2020 deadline by 10 days, i.e. up to 10.10.2020," it said.

Recently, the Supreme Court had ordered that states and Universities cannot promote the students without holding final year exams. It also said the states have the discretion to approach the UGC for an extension of the deadline by which final year exams should be completed. At present, the deadline to finish the final year exams across the country is September 31.

Read More:

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• Calcutta University Final year exams 2020 to begin from October 1; Result on October 31