Pandemic Not To End In 10 Days: Reactions To DU OBE Postponement
Ten days are not enough to get away from the pandemic, All India Students' Association, or AISA, said in response to Delhi University's decision to postpone the open book exam for final-semester students by ten days. The university will announce new dates for DU open book exams on July 3, which, earlier, were scheduled from July 1. Delhi University Teacher's Association, or DUTA, which has been opposing the idea of open book exams since the first announcement, said that the recent decision “has created more stress and anguish for students”.
“The postponement of the exam for ten days citing the increase in COVID-19 cases suggests that the University believes that the situation is going to miraculously improve in this period. We wonder if this is only a cynical ploy to cover up for its failings and to gloss over its unpreparedness for carrying out the online process,” DUTA said in a statement.
AISA referred to the failure of mock tests that the university had conducted for the open book examination candidates.
“The postponement comes after a complete failure of the 'mock tests' organised by the administration. Apart from the magnificent technical failures in the mock tests as well as exams of foreign languages, the university's admission websites have crashed at instances after announcing open season,” AISA said in a statement.
DUTA has demanded cancellation of DU open book exams immediately as lives and careers of more than four lakh students “are at stake”.
COVID-19 And University Exams
On June 24, Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank ordered the University Grants Commission, or UGC, to “revisit” its guidelines on exams and academic calendar, issued in April. The minister's order came amidst speculation over the cancellation of final semester exams, as different reports suggested that a UGC panel had recommended scrapping final semester university exams.
DUTA welcomed the reported recommendations of the UGC committee and declared it “victory” for teachers and students.
“The University has also ignored the HRD Minister's public statement on June 24 advising the UGC to revisit the guidelines issued earlier for intermediate and terminal year students keeping in mind health and safety of students and staff,” said DUTA, reiterating its old statements.
The Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, or KYS, has started #ScrapOBE campaign on social media, demanding “cancellation of exams instead of postponement”.