The Education Minister has asked all centrally funded institutions to postpone the offline exams that are scheduled to take place in May 2021. As the COVID-19 cases are increasing with each passing day, the Ministry has urged Institutions to defer the offline exam. Any further updates on the new dates of exams will be out in June 2021. However, the schedule for the online examinations remains unchanged.
On Monday (May 03, 2021) the Ministry of Education issued a letter asking the institutions to postpone the offline exams. In the letter, Amit Khare, Higher Education Secretary addressed all Centrally funded Institutions asking them to put a hold on the offline examinations. With the increasing number of coronavirus cases, the procedure to conduct the exam offline will be hectic and risky. It will put the health and well-being of candidates in danger. He then adds that the decision will be reviewed in the first week of June 2021.
However, the schedule for the examination that was taking place as an online exam will remain untouched. The Institutions can carry on with the online exams as it is.
He further adds that “ if anyone in the institution needs any assistance it should be provided immediate possible help so that he/she comes out of the distress at the earliest.” Institutions should also encourage students to participate in the vaccination drive and remain safe till the COVID-19 wave is toned down. Amit Khare has also advised students to ensure that they follow all the COVID-19 guidelines which include social distancing, wearing masks and using sanitisers.
This decision will be applicable only to the centrally funded institutions which include the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs). It is expected that these institutions will release a notice on the same on their respective official website. So, students should look for the notice on IITs, NITs and IIITs websites.
Moreover, several exams are continuously getting postponed or cancelled due to the second wave to COVID-19 across the nation. Recently, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Post Graduate (NEET-PG) was postponed. CBSE has also postponed the 12th Boards exam whereas the 10th Boards exam is cancelled. Some universities such as Delhi University have also postponed the online open book examination taking place in May 2021. The postponement decision was announced after consulting Delhi University’s vice-chancellor. As per the University Administration, the exam will now take place in June 2021.
