Chandigarh, Jun 23 (IANS): Haryana Education Minister Kanwar Pal said on Tuesday that the state government has decided not to conduct all terminal examinations (final semester) and intermediate semester examinations for higher and technical education for all courses.

The students of these classes will be promoted to the next semester with 50 per cent weightage of marks of internal assessment and assignment plus 50 per cent weightage of marks in previous examinations.

However, the students will have the option for examinations for improvement of grades later once normalcy prevails in the state.

This formula will also be applicable for distance education and private students.

Giving more information, the Education Minister said that if a university wishes, it may conduct online examination if and only it is fully prepared and equipped, ensuring that all students are able to take the online examinations.

The students with academic arrears in previous examinations may also be exempted from tests and be promoted to the next semester. Reappearing students are to be given marks on an average basis of the previous examinations for promotion, the minister said.

The same formula will also be applicable for distance education and private students.

The minister said for the first year students, only internal assessment may be calculated for promotion to the next year.

In case of practical examinations, wherever not conducted so far, marks are to be awarded as an average of all previous practical examinations or 80 per cent average of theory examination marks of previous semesters, whichever is higher.

He said admissions to University Teaching Departments will be conducted at individual university level, whereas for undergraduate levels and postgraduate levels, centralised online admission for colleges will be conducted by the Higher Education Department as per past practice.