Odisha Govt Cancels Final UG, PG Exams Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday cancelled the final semester examinations of Under Graduate (UG) and Post-Graduate (PG) streams.

The decision was taken at a video conference presided over by Higher Education minister Arun Kumar Sahu and attended by vice-chancellors of all state-run universities and principals of all government and aided colleges.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, it was decided that it will be difficult to strictly adhere to social distancing guidelines while conducting the exams.

As the COVID guidelines cannot be modified under any circumstances, the meeting took the following decisions:

— All pending theory and practical examinations of the UG and PG streams will be cancelled.

— All state-run universities and autonomous colleges will announce the results by end of August after evaluating the papers as per UGC guidelines.

— The students will be awarded marks through alternative evaluation. internal marks will be awarded on the basis of prescribed weightage and the average marks obtained in all previous semesters/years in that subject.

— If some students are not satisfied with the marks awarded to them through alternative evaluation and claim more marks, the concerned universities and autonomous colleges will conduct their examination by November and announce revised results in December.

— Alternative evaluation method will not be applied for universities and autonomous colleges that have already conducted theory and practical examinations.

— If the final year students have one or two back papers, there will be no examination for these back papers and evaluation will be made through proportionate quotient or any other alternative method.

— In case of students having more than two back papers, they will have to appear in the examinations as usual. However, the concerned universities and autonomous colleges will fix the examination date after reviewing the COVID situation.

— The alternative evaluation will be applicable to all syllabi of state-run universities and autonomous colleges under the Higher Education Department except the medical syllabus as the examination of all medical syllabi will be held as per schedule.

It may be recalled that UG and PG students across the state had demanded cancellation of annual examinations due to the outbreak of COVID-19.