Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department has postponed all the semester exams until the start of the next academic year, according to the Times of India. This includes all the deemed universities, engineering, arts and science, polytechnic and other colleges, adds the report.

Furthermore, due to the unclear situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the start date for the next academic year cannot be determined at this moment and dates for the same will be announced in the near future, said the Higher Education Secretary Apoorva, reports TOI. Usually, the academic year starts in the month of June.

The secretary in a letter to registrars of state universities and deemed universities said that since most educational institutions and hostels have been identified as quarantine centres in case of emergencies, the institutions are requested to conduct the semester exams at the beginning of the next academic year.

To mitigate the loss in time, the letter suggested that colleges and institutions can conduct the exams without any breaks in between and exams can be conducted in morning and evening schedule, the report adds. The letter assured that necessary arrangements will be made to publish the final year results at the earliest.

The information kind of puts in rest the ambiguity and confusion that the students and college authorities were going through amidst the pandemic. The state has registered more than 1250 cases of COVID-19 with a death toll of 15 as per the latest update provided on Thursday.