Exams for final year UG and PG students’ confirmed: A hard pill to swallow for many

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The Delhi High Court, on Friday, gave its green wave to the University of Delhi for conducting Open Book Exams (OBE) for final year students as per the guidelines laid out by the UGC. The exams will be conducted as per schedule starting from August 10, 2020 (Monday). A bench led by Justice Pratibha M. Singh announced the order while directing the University and UGC to adhere to the outlined guidelines. “I wish the students and the University of Delhi all the best for the exams,” said Justice Pratibha M. Singh.

The court announced this verdict on the petition filed by the students of the University of Delhi challenging the University’s decision to hold OBE. Several students have urged that conducting OBE is a clear act of discrimination for many doesn’t have access to the internet and other minimum required sources. Not to mention the ever crashing syndrome suffered by the official website of Delhi University. As such Petitioners also had concerns regarding DU’s preparations to facilitate the online OBE examinations. But it seems that the varsity has opposed the petition claiming OBE to be the best option during the coronavirus outbreak thereby blatantly ignoring the concerns of the students and delivering a hard blow to the students.

  • A Hard pill to swallow:

Well, the wind didn’t blow hard only for the students of the University of Delhi but for students of other State University as well! That’s right. States Universities of Assam, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal etc., will also be conducting exams for the final year Undergraduate and Postgraduate students as per the guidelines outlined by the UGC. Although, it’s a hard pill to swallow but such is the current scenario regarding the final year UG & PG Students’ of the nation. This decision, with no doubt, has the sweep the students’ off their feet. And the recently focused spotlight on the mental health issue seems to have little to no effect or contribution over this cruel verdict of the States’ and High Court.

  • Unnecessary Hardline Approach: Pappu might not pass

Students’ are little afraid of the exam and more mull over the fact that they haven’t been taught well on Online platform as compared to Offline. Reason? Many students’ weren’t able to access the resources offered by the institutions because either they were technological challenged or did not have the basic equipment to access them. And to top it off, the growing worldwide concern that the COVID-19 infection is not always mild among young people, and more importantly, youth with mild symptoms might pass it on to older family members who could become seriously ill might pass as the icing over the cake given that many have to travel quite a long distance just to have access to minimum resources to take the Online examination. As the country with the third-highest number of cases in the world more than 1 million as of July 16 — the situation on COVID-19 in India is worrying. Any move to ram through a final examination scheme could endanger lives. The Centre must take its advice, of restricting public movement and gatherings during the pandemic, seriously, and leave it to the States to determine the best course. Such being case, let’s direct ourselves to the billion-dollar question, ‘Should exams be still conducted, amidst such testing times?’ Couldn’t the Final year students’ of UG and PG courses get off the hook with their previous records? Why’s there need to be so much confusion regarding the conduction of online examinations? Do exams overweight the importance of mental wellbeing of the student? Well, here’s the answer to these billion dollars questions, NO. The fact that online exams are being conducted despite this troubling and testing is a great disappointment in itself. The State and judiciary has failed to take account of any relevant factors regarding the decision of exams for the final year students’. Because no sanction can be given to any kind of act at the cost of the mental and physical well-being of any person. This decision will surely cause disarray and an uproar of stress among the students which the legal institution must take responsibility and should be held accountable for!

In its defence, the Department of Higher Education has gathered data to show that 454 out of 640 universities had either conducted examinations or planned to do so, and the rest should fall in line because of the legal position. Such a hardline approach does not cohere with the imperative of a consensus pandemic response. It is relevant to point out that in the most-affected nation, the U.S., major universities are placing health and safety first and academic enterprise next. Any decision to conduct examinations requires careful assessment of local and psychological conditions of the students.