Punjab CM announces cancellation of college, university exams

Punjab CM announces cancellation of college, university exams

University and college examinations in Punjab have been cancelled in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Saturday.

The students will be promoted on the basis of their previous years' results and will also have an option to take the exams later, Singh announced in his weekly 'AskCaptain' Facebook live.

However, the online exams being conducted by some universities will continue uninterrupted.

Universities and colleges are in the process of working out the modalities for implementing the decision which will be announced in the next few weeks, the chief minister said.

Singh urged all students to continue with their studies in right earnest despite the cancellation of the examinations.

"You have to continue to work for your future," he told the students.

The state has also increased the number of attempts for ex-servicemen appearing for the Punjab Civil Services examination.

Scheduled Caste candidates will continue to get unlimited chances, as per the existing system, while the general category ex-servicemen will now get six attempts, instead of the earlier four.

For the Backward Classes category of ex-servicemen, the number of attempts has been increased to nine, the chief minister said. He said he had received several petitions from ex-servicemen to be put at par with the overall general category aspirants

Madhav Deo Saraswat, principal, The Scindia School, Gwalior, says board was left with limited options. "The Board was quite honestly left with nothing but the Hobson's choice. In view of the pandemic, the kind of pressure that was on the CBSE, they have taken a reasonable decision for the well being of students. Also, the board's decision to allow candidates to appear for the class XII exam later if they are not satisfied with the assessment based on the previous exam is a fair approach. The fact that there was little clarity from decision-makers on CBSE exams and its impact on higher education and students also compelled the board to go for cancellation of the exams. Of course, we understand that students and their competencies are assessed based on the examination so as to provide a direction to their future endeavours. However, the current situation left the Board with limited options," he said.

Nikitha Sreekantha, HOD, Department of UG programmes, Dayananda Sagar Business Academy, Bengaluru, says cancellation of board exams is sensible decision. "Looking at the current situation it is sensible to assess the students based on the internal exams. Of course, it is always good to either have a continuous assessment or conduct final exams so that students will be mentally prepared and can give their best. But assessment based on the internal exam should not become the standard always for all schools or colleges. The current situation warrants cancellation of pending board exams because of uncertainty and grave concern over health and safety," said Nikitha.

Maitrayaee Dass, student, Loreto House, Kolkata, said it's an appropriate decision. "In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board has taken an appropriate decision to cancel the pending examinations. Initially, I was sulking as the final exam was an opportunity for me to improve in the subjects where I did not do well during pre-boards. Although, the increasing graph of the patients made me realize that it is in the best interest of the students. With the situation getting worse across the country, appearing for the board exams would have been worrisome for both students and parents. The cancellation of exams has now brought a sigh of relief," said Maitrayaee.