CHENNAI: Amid rise in Covid-19 cases, the Tamil Nadu government on Monday postponed semester exams, which were slated to begin on January 21, in all State universities. Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi announced at the Secretariat that semester exams in the State have been deferred indefinitely due to the Covid-19 situation, and a revised exam schedule will be announced once the situation improves. The direction will be applicable to deemed universities as well.
As the number of Covid cases began to shoot up in Tamil Nadu, the State government shut schools and colleges from January 6 till January 20. Since the semester examinations were scheduled to begin from January 21, the government advised students to treat the period as study holidays to prepare for the offline exams.
However, considering the present situation, officials from the Higher Education Department feel it would be unwise to conduct offline exams now. “From experience, we can say it’s nearly impossible to control students and ensure they follow the Covid safety protocol on campus. Many colleges are emerging as Covid clusters. Considering the situation, we don’t want to risk students’ lives by conducting physical exams. The caseload is expected to reduce by February. We will decide the next steps after assessing the situation,” said a senior official from the department.
As for students, the announcement that exams will be postponed, has left them in the lurch. “This is my final year and I just hope the exams are conducted offline. It will give me some confidence and satisfaction because I studied the entire first and second year online,” said K Shivanandan, a student at a private college in Chennai.