UGC Issues New Exam Guidelines For Differently-Abled And Higher Education Institutions

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has come up with a new provision for Persons With Benchmark Disability (PwBD) asking all higher education institutions to provide a minimum one-hour 'compensatory time' for a 3-hour examination, whether they use scribe or not.

The UGC has issued a letter on February 21 to all the registrars and called for strict action.

According to the norm, as defined by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, a person with benchmark disability can only avail the one-hour extra time if he or she is 'not' availing the service of a scribe.

Condition: Of course, candidates who are planning to avail this service are required to show that they are eligible to avail the service of a scribe to be allowed the additional time.

"All candidates with benchmark disabilities who are eligible for availing the facility of a scribe... may be allowed additional time of minimum of one-hour for examination of three hours duration, whether they use the facility of a scribe or not," the letter read.

The guidelines also say the additional time should not be less than 20 minutes per hour of examination. If the examination is less than one hour long then additional time must be allocated accordingly on pro-rata basis, it says.