Haryana takes U-turn, students of final semester to be promoted without examinations

Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 23

Bowing under pressure from teachers as well as students, the Haryana government on Tuesday has “retracted its earlier decision” that said the terminal examinations of all final semesters of all classes under higher and technical examinations will be held from July 1st.

The fresh orders—which would be applied to all colleges, universities and technical institutions in the state—said that “there will be no examinations even for the final semester”.

This is for other semesters which had already been exempted due to the ongoing pandemic.

Modifying his orders from June 12, Ankur Gupta, Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department, Haryana, said that the terminal examinations (final semester) and intermediate semester examinations would not be conducted and all the students shall be promoted to the next semester with 50 per cent weightage of marks of internal assessment, plus 50 per cent weightage of the marks in previous examinations.

The students will have the chance to improve their grades later.

The orders have authorised the universities to hold online examinations—if they are equipped, and can ensure the participation of all students.

Students with academic arrears in previous examinations have also been exempted, and they will be promoted to the next semester by giving marks on the average basis of the previous examinations.

This order comes on the day when Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a notice to the government for June 25 on a plea filed by students from NSUI.

“We had challenged the June 12 orders violating Article 14 of the Constitution of India (Right to Equality), because the government had exempted examination for students residing out of Haryana, but made it compulsory for the state residents,” said state president of the NSUI, Divyanshu Budhiraja.

Narender Siwach, president of Haryana Government Teachers Association said that they were opposing the exams because this could have led to community spread of Covid-19.

Welcoming the orders, Siwach said that the government should have taken this decision much earlier.