Hyderabad: UGC allows universities to hold final-year exams

Hyderabad: Higher Educational Institutions can now conduct final-year degree examinations in multiple modes suitable for them.

Revising its earlier guidelines for conducting the final-year and semester examinations, the University Grants Commission on Tuesday said, now universities are allowed to conduct examinations in off-line mode with pen and paper. Besides, only through online mode or blending both, the off-line and online modes, it said.

Accordingly, it said that the terminal or final-year examinations for the academic year 2019-20, the UGC said that the universities have to complete the examinations by the end of September 2020 "in offline (pen & paper)/ online/ blended (online + offline) mode following the prescribed protocols/ guidelines related to Covid-19 pandemic."

Further, it asked to provide a provision of examination through 'Special Chance', for the students of the terminal semester and final-year are unable to appear in the examination conducted by the university for various reasons. The special examination can be conducted by the university whenever it is feasible so that the student is not put to any inconvenience and disadvantage. But, it is only given as a one-time measure for the students of 2019-20, it said.

The revised guidelines have made it clear that the students of the terminal semester or final-year students having backlog should be mandatorily evaluated by conducting examinations in any one of the three modes of examinations. But, the conduct of the intermediate semester and year-end examinations remain same as per the earlier guidelines, it clarified.

The UGC said that it would issue separate guidelines regarding the Admissions and Academic Calendar in place of the earlier guidelines notified on April 29, it said.