New Delhi: As India's coronavirus tally inches closer to the eight-lakh mark, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today criticised the decision of the top educational body in the country - the University Grants Commission or UGC - to conduct the final-term examinations in colleges and educational institutions by September amid pandemic.
Hitting out at the UGC, he tweeted: "It is extremely unfair to conduct exams during the Covid19 pandemic. UGC must hear the voice of the students and academics. Exams should be cancelled and students promoted on basis of past performance (sic)."
In a video message, the 50-year-old Congress MP from Kerala's Wayanad is heard saying: "Covid has harmed a lot of people. Our students in schools, colleges, universities have been struggling. IITs have promoted students after cancelling exams. The UGC is creating confusion."
The former Congress chief has been attacking the government over its handling of COVID-19 since the beginning of the outbreak
The former Congress chief has been attacking the government over its handling of COVID-19 since the beginning of the outbreak.
On Monday, the Union Home Ministry said that the final-term exams in colleges and educational institutions - pending since March because of the lockdown to check the spread of highly infectious coronavirus - can be held.
Hours later, fresh guidelines were released by the UGC that said the exams can be held in September. The UGC is the top body in the country charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education.
As a part of the "standard operating procedure" (SOP) for conducting the final-year or end-semester examinations, the educational institutions have been advised to hold the final-year or end-semester exams by September, 2020 in pen-and-paper, online mode or a "blended" mode.