The Maharashtra government is firm on its decision not to conduct final-year exams for students due to Covid-19 safety concerns
A couple of days after the University Grants Commission (UGC) announced that the final year University examinations will be held in September the Maharashtra government on Monday reiterated its decision not to hold the examinations citing a reason of the students’ safety in the Covid-19 pandemic time.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Disaster Management Authority chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant said the government will convey the authority’s decision to the UGC and Human Resource Development Ministry.
“The Maharashtra Disaster Management Act gives the state government powers to overrule any decision in such circumstances,” Samant
Interestingly, the HRD has maintained that as per the UGC Act the state governments cannot take the decision. Unlike school education, which is on the state list, the high education is on the concurrent list.
“UGC and AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) directives have to be implemented. It is there in the act,” said Amit Khare, Union Higher Education Secretary before Samant’s statement.