In a major relief to students, the Delhi government on Saturday, July 11, announced cancellation of all examinations, including final semester examination, in the state universities due to the coronavirus crisis.
The decision will apply to all final-year as well as other semester examinations in the universities run by Delhi Government, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
The national capital has a score of universities such as Delhi Technological University (DTU), National Law University (NLU) Delhi, Ambedkar University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, among others.
Manish Sisodia addresses press briefing
Addressing a press briefing, Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary decisions and that is why we have decided to cancel examinations in all the state universities. Semester, as well as terminal exams, stand cancelled."
He, however, underscored that degrees will be awarded to students based on evaluation parameters decided by the universities.
"Universities have been directed to not conduct the written examination and evaluate students on the basis of old examinations, semester, or by adopting any other assessment or progressive technique," Sisodia added.
He said that it is necessary to give final year students their degrees as some of them have to take up jobs, give interviews, or apply for other courses. "Universities have been directed to devise evaluation parameters or formulas and award them degrees."
Besides this, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to adopt the same route for Central universities across the country, said Sisodia.
Sisodia's announcement came on the same day that HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank defended UGC decision to conduct final-year university exams, and said that performance in examinations are a "reflection of their (students') ability, performance and reliability that is essential for global acceptance".
(With agency inputs)
