The University Grants Commission has issued a fake news alert regarding exam guidelines on the official website. UGC has published an official notice on ugc.ac.in indicating that it has only requested Universities to keep offline exams suspended in May 2021. The Commission rejected the idea of having published any kind of exam guidelines. UGC said that such news being publicized on the internet that the Commission has released exam day guidelines is fake.
The notice reads, UGC has not issued any Guidelines on Examinations recently and the news is incorrect”. UGC clarified this in regards to a reported fake news circulating the internet that UGC has issued Guidelines for Examinations in some print and digital media. On the contrary, the Commission has only requested Universities to refrain from conducting offline examinations during the month of May 2021. The decision was take in response to the pandemic wave taking India by storm once again in 2021.
The Commission has also clarified that it has released exam guidelines and academic calendar of events during the last year. However in 2021, the Commission, under provisions of letter dated May 06, 2021, requested all Higher Educational Institutes (HIEs) to keep offline exams in abeyance in the month of May 2021.
As the country faces the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic this year in 2021, exams have been postponed and may states are observing restrictions to control the spread of the virus. In such a time, it is extremely risky for the health and wellbeing of candidates and exam conducting authorities to conduct University exams in the offline mode. In light of such situations, the UGC has rightfully suspended the exams in May 2021. In this context, it may be noted that the UGC is a statutory body of the Indian Government, governing University education in India.
Conducting an exam in the offline mode means that candidates have to attend a physical brick and mortar exam hall along with many others and give the exam there. This puts all of the candidates and conducting staff to contract the virus which is why, increasing number of admission & recruitment examinations have already been suspended.
The UGC is expected to announce exam guidelines for exams that are to be conducted during the pandemic as well as afterwards. Candidates are advised to stay connected with the official website of respective universities for latest updates. Fake news with no reference should not lay aspirants astray. Candidates are also advised to follow the official website of the University Grants Commission for further updates in this regard.
