Declaring students with arrears as pass sans exam arbitrary: AICTE

Responding to a plea moved by Prof E Balagurusamy, academician and former vice-chancellor of Anna University, challenging the GO exempting students from appearing for exams and permitting them to pursue studies in the coming academic year, the council submitted in its counter that at no point of time had it issued any exemption to the students from appearing for the examination and to pursue their studies for the next year without being assessed by conducting examinations.

“A degree cannot be awarded to a student who has failed in a large number of subjects. This is not acceptable to the industry, too. In view of the GO, all the students, even the students who have not paid their fee for arrear examinations, are declared to be passed which is totally against the guidelines,” the counter said.

The claims made in the GO that the exemption from appearing for the semester exam and award of marks was as per the AICTE guidelines was “utterly wrong”, said the counter filed by M Sundaresan, Southern Regional Officer, AICTE. The official also informed the court that the Tamil Nadu government had totally misinterpreted a UGC circular which was issued for promoting students of the first and second year (and third year for technical degrees) to the next year for continuing online classes of next year during pandemic.

Moreover, in cases where it was difficult to conduct formal, routine examinations, the UGC had listed different ways of evaluation. But unmindful of it, several students with arrears were now being sought to be promoted to the next year without appearing for the examinations, which was totally contrary to the AICTE Act that makes the council the authority to lay down norms and standards for assessment and examinations. Hence, the GO declaring all the students as passed without an assessment by way of examination was against the Act, the counter said.