Final decision on Ignou exams likely on July 21

Nagpur: Lakhs of non-final year students of Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) will have to wait till July 21 to know whether or not they have to appear for exams. A high-ranking official at the university told TOI that the Academic Council meet is scheduled for that day and that’s when “a final decision will be taken”.
Ignou has to take a call if they can promote students to the next semester/year by completely waiving off the exam condition.
For final year students, Ignou has complied with UGC guidelines and issued a notification on Thursday. The notification, signed by Ignou’s registrar VB Negi, makes it clear that final year/semester exams will be held from the first week of September. UGC had directed universities to conduct exams for final year students.
While the popular perception is that exams will be cancelled, the official told TOI that for an open university like Ignou it might not be the best option. “In Ignou there is automatic promotion for students to the next year, but on the condition that all papers from previous years have to be cleared. Students also get a longer time frame to complete their degrees as most of our students are employed,” said the source.
The official said that term end exams (TEE) are conducted twice a year at Ignou, which further complicates things. “We have a January and July session, with TEE being held in December and June. So for whom it is to be waived off is also an issue. If those who were scheduled to appear in June TEE get a waiver then those scheduled for December TEE will also demand it, so there is no end to this,” said the official.
Apart from the technicalities of an open university, the official said another issue was about credibility. “At Ignou, we maintain very high standards and that ensures credibility and acceptance of degrees everywhere. So, cancelling exam may affect credibility of an open university and these are things which the board members have to consider while taking a final decision,” said the official.