LThe university exams and exams scheduled for January will be “maintained in person” despite the high incidence rate of the Covid-19 pandemic among young people, the Minister of Higher Education and Research confirmed on Wednesday, December 29, Frederique Vidal.
“The rule was set in November” and has not changed, said Frédérique Vidal on Franceinfo, although the pandemic is gaining ground in France with nearly 180,000 new cases of contamination recorded on Tuesday. When the exams were taken remotely in universities in 2020, “it was very complicated, in terms of connection”, justified the minister.
The maintenance of face-to-face tests responds to “the majority demand of students”, according to Frédérique Vidal, who specified that “nearly 92%” of them were vaccinated. However, several student unions are calling for a postponement of the January partials, so that students who are positive for Covid-19 are not penalized.
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“It will be on a case-by-case basis”
The postponement would only be considered “if a promotion is particularly affected” and a cluster were to be formed, said Frédérique Vidal, “it will be on a case by case basis”. “There will be substitution sessions, the students will not be sent to catch up,” she added.
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Frédérique Vidal also specified that a new turn of the screw in the universities, with in particular the return of the gauges in the amphitheatres, was not on the agenda. Vaccination reminder campaigns will be “organized on campus” from the start of the school year, she added.