With the University Grants Commission yet to respond to a letter sent by the Bengal Government regarding holding of final year undergraduate and post graduate examinations in the month of October the Bengal universities have decided to put on hold the scheduling of the examination days the vice chancellors of a number of universities said.
Citing rising number of corona cases Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had last month declared that her Government would not hold examinations in the month of September as directed by the UGC. Instead, she said that her Government was game for holding examinations in the month of October.
Accordingly the State Government had sent a letter to the UGC seeking its directions on holding the examinations in the month of October.
“We have our entire set up ready to hold the examinations and are only waiting for the UGC not to the State Government,” said Jadavpur University Vice Chancellor Professor Suranjan Das.
His Calcutta University counterpart too expressed a similar view saying examination schedules would be declared only after UGC apprised its decision to the State Government. Sources also said quoting judicial decisions that the Universities could hold examinations even after the month of September subject to the UGC nod.
Most universities said they would hold online open book examinations for which the question papers were ready. According to sources, Calcutta University, Jadavpur University, Vidyasaar University, North Bengal University and Raiganj University have already taken decisions to hold open book online examinations.
Other universities like Rabindara Bharati, Burdwan University have yet to take their decisions on whether to take online or offline home-based examinations.
Earlier Education Minister Partho Chatterjee said that the Universities were free to take their respective decisions about holding offline or online examinations adding in case of off line examinations the students will be required to submit their papers to a designated collection centre after completing their tests within a specific period of time.
The State Government also said that the UG and PG examinations would start in the first week of October and the process would be completed by the second week. The results would be out by October 31.