State Government Asks ICT to Stall Final Year Examination Process 

The Mumbai government has asked the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) to stall its examination process on July 2, 2020 evening. 

However, the institute has decided to continue with the 300 undergraduate and master's examinations and will be holding e-exams for junior students after a week.

ICT decided to hold the e-exams after a meeting held with class and branch representatives. However, after conducting three papers, the authorities received calls from YUVA Sena and the directorate of technical education (DTE) questioning the move taken by the varsity.

ICT Vice-Chancellor Aniruddha Pandit said, "We have two more papers to go and an elective exam. Apart from two or three students, almost everyone wanted the exams to be conducted. Many students want to submit the results to prospective employers and some want transcripts to fly out for higher education."

YUVA Sena's Core Committee Member Sainath Durge said, "All the state Universities have to abide by the Government Resolution issued. The ICT is not only holding exams for final year students, it plans to hold them for students of second and third year too."

Sainath also said that students have been sending anonymous emails to Aaditya Thackeray, following which YUVA Sena has complained to the higher and technical education minister.

A senior ICT faculty member said, "We had to explain the rationale of holding the e-exams to the DTE officers. Though our junior students were a part of the entire process wherein they were asked how they would like to be assessed, we will again conduct a survey in case they have a change of heart and conduct the exams only if they still want them." 

The institute authorities also added that looking at the history of cases where Universities have given degrees without holding the examination, the batches have suffered throughout their career. The students also faced difficulties in finding their first job in the competitive world and candidates of previous batches were instead preferred.

A letter to the students read, "It is understood that there can be students who are either suffering from COVID-19 or someone in their family is. This can put the students in stress even if they have satisfactory internet connection. It is also understood that without supervision there can be little control over malpractices, except through self-discipline."

The ICT has planned another exam in August without any penalty, for the students who cannot appear in these examinations.