Amid the 21-day nationwide lockdown, all Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) examinations of the University of Mumbai (MU) are likely to be postponed, according to MU authorities.
Officials of MU said that students will be notified as a decision on postponement of exams will be made by the Maharashtra higher education ministry in the next two to three days.
Lakhs of students appear for MU exams and many are also preparing for higher education exams as the semesters in foreign universities begin from September 2020. Devika Urmil, a student, said, “I want to pursue my master’s from a foreign university in September this year. But as of now, I am not sure when I will be able to appear for my final semester of my Bachelor programme.”
Ridesh Kumar, another student said, “MU semester exams are the most important milestone as our entire career depends on it. I hope the situation settles down and we can clear the exam soon.”
At present, all semester examinations of the University of Mumbai (MU) which were scheduled to begin from March 23 have been cancelled till March 31 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
On March 16, Uday Samant, higher and technical education minister of Maharashtra said, “We have cancelled all higher education both government and private university and college exams till March 31. The exams will be postponed to a later date as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 pandemic. We will review the situation again around March 26 to 27 and issue a fresh declaration depending on the coronavirus situation in Maharashtra.”
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi enforced a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, the exams are likely to be postponed further. An official from the examination department of MU said, “Semester exams cannot be conducted if there is a nationwide lockdown with limited or no means of transport. Also, we cannot risk the safety of students and faculty members. The state higher education ministry will take a decision in the next two to three days.”
Students need not panic but, stay at home and practice safety measures, appealed MU authorities. Vinod Patil, Director, Board of Examinations (BoE) of MU, said, “We will update and inform students and faculty members about decisions and changes. Students should check the MU website for new exam dates.”
Students of MU’s Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) are informed that the examinations of First Year (FY) and Second Year (SY) Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) program that was scheduled to commence on March 31 and April 15 respectively are postponed.
The revised dates as per government norms will be declared soon on the website.