Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday in a meeting with Higher Education Minister Uday Samant and Vice-Chancellors of various universities has directed to conduct the final examinations of Under Graduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) courses.
The universities have been informed to work on preparedness, plans and measures to conduct exams keeping in mind the safety of students and staff amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had asked Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to resolve the issue ‘without any further delay in the larger interest of students’.
The Governer had also taken a strong objection to Uday Samant's letter to the University Grants Commission (UGC). The Minister of Higher Education and Technical Education had written to the UGC to consider promoting the final year students of Under Graduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) courses without conducting the exams.
Koshyari said it was "unwarranted intervention" and "violation of UGC guidelines and also the relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016". He added that it would not be "ethical or appropriate" to award degrees to final year students without conducting examinations, which results in violation of the provisions of the Universities Act.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Friday reported 2,682 new COVID-19 cases taking the state count to a staggering 62,228, according to state health department data. The state has recorded over 2000 deaths.
