Keeping in view the prevailing health crises, the University will hold an open book online exams and the students left out will be given a chance to appear in physical exams that will be held in September.

Earlier, the University informed the bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad that the varsity will hold the exams from August 17 till September 8, but the bench asked the University to reconsider the schedule, compress as the final year students are supposed to pass and join in various courses in India and abroad. The exams were then rescheduled.

DU on Tuesday informed the Court that the first phase of mock tests will be held from July 27, instead of July 31. The second phase mock tests will begin from August 1 instead of August 4.

The Court on July 9 asked DU to file an affidavit detailing the schedule for final year UG exams, propose their procedure and mode of conduct, providing a clarity to its students.

It asked the varsity to mull over the schedule given by the UGC and come back with a firm date sheet and examination schedule.

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DU submitted before the court that the decision came after a meeting on Tuesday among the University officials, University Grants Commission (UGC) and MHRD, that the exams have been shifted.

Justice Pratibha M Singh remarked “just see how you are playing with the lives of children.” Till Tuesday, the judge said DU had claimed that it is all geared up to conduct online exams.

The university, through senior advocate Sachin Dutta, then told the court that during mock tests, more than 4.9 lakh question papers had been downloaded and attempted, and 4.7 lakh files uploaded successfully, showing that the students were able to access the mock tests as well as upload the documents.

“You were not fair with the court about your preparedness for holding the online examinations. You are saying you are ready but the minutes of your meeting shows to the contrary,” Justice Singh noted, while hearing petitions by several final-year DU students seeking withdrawal of exams for final year students including SOL and NCWEB.

UGC said that it has allowed universities to conduct exams for final year students as per their convenience provided September is the deadline.

DU students have urged their university to grant them degress after evaluation based on past performance.

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Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) so far has not released any opinion but suggest that evaluation must be done on the basis of their previous performance and assignments, as been done for the students of intermediate years.

DUSU President Akshit Dahiya on Monday, held a meeting with representatives from various colleges and decided that exams in current times are not feasible. “DU completely failed to hold mock test & online exam will be blunder too. We demand promotion for all DU students,” he tweeted.

Former DUSU President Arun Hood from NSUI in protest, has returned his LLB degree to Dean of Examinations, Vinay Gupta.

Over 80 students from Shri Ram College of Commerce have filled a google form to boycott the exams, accusing the technical glitches they faced during the mock tests.

So far Dean of Examinations Vinay Gupta has not addressed the problems the students faced during the mock tests sessions.

The post Amidst the growing demand for cancellation of exams; students to boycott OBE appeared first on DU Times.

Delhi University on June 26 informed the bench of justices Hima Kholi and Subramonium Prasad that the varsity is “thoroughly geared” up to conduct Open Book Examinations for its final year students.  Based on the provided information, the bench had expressed its instinct to deny a petition seeking the cancellation of exams for PWD (person with disabilities) students.

The Court expressed its annoyance on hearing about the shift in exams through news report.

DU took its stance in defense and said that it came to know on June 26 at around 2:20 pm that, mother of varsity’s deputy registrar (secrecy) has been tested COVID-19 positive and the entire family had to be quarantined.

The court, however, refused to accept the reason and said, “If the stand of Delhi university is correct that because a family member of deputy registrar (secrecy) had gone down with Covid-19 and the university came to know that the entire family had to be quarantined only after the matter was over, then there was enough time for the university to have reverted to this court on the same day or at least the next morning and inform us”

However, “this did not happen,” the court said. “…We are prima facie of the opinion that contempt proceedings ought to be initiated against DU and its officers for withholding information from the court and trying to mislead it,” the court added. It issued notice to the varsity and sought its stand as to why contempt of court proceedings not be initiated against it and listed the matter for July 6.

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The senior Congress leader also expressed his opinion on the cancellation of board exams. He said “What has happened is that half the year has been lost and we don’t know how long this pandemic will continue. There is no need for Class 10 board exams for a while for these two years — this year and next year — and then they could relook at this policy.”

Kapil Sibal had served as the human resource development minister from May 2009 – October 2012. “Thank god they have listened to some sane advice and they have cancelled the board exams. Consider the impact it would have had, especially on the poor students who don’t have access to any online facilities,” he said.

Sibal remarked that in such a time of a pandemic, exams should not be conducted. Holding online exams will be “discriminatory” to the students who live in remote areas of the country and have no access to any such resources.

He said “See you are creating an elitist culture where the advantage goes to the rich which have access to online facilities and to those institutions which are privileged to provide online facilities and online teaching.”

Several universities have decided to conduct online exams including Aligarh Muslim University. Delhi University has postponed the OBE for final year students by 10 days, keeping in view the prevailing health crises.

Sibal also presented his opinion on the evaluation process and promotion of the students of intermediate years. He said that final year students must be awarded their degrees on the basis of their past performance and can later give exams as and when they have the material.

Asked if the Centre should introduce a uniform policy for examinations in universities, Sibal said the problem is that universities are independent institutions and the government can’t decide what they should do or not.

The universities have a level of autonomy, but they themselves should find innovative ways to deal with a situation rather than have an “elitist approach and say we have decided, this is what is going to happen and we are not going to see the situation on the ground”.

He emphasised that asserting their decision on poor students is very poor management of education.

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