The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) has decided to evaluate students' performance on the basis of their grades in the mid-semester examination, assignments and viva voce in view of the students' inability to reach the campus to take the end semester examination because of the lockdown, an institute spokesperson said on May 30.
A committee has been formed to decide on these factors along with the grading scheme and supplementary examination, she said.
The institute will issue a circular based on the decision taken in this regard during a Senate meeting held on May 27, the spokesperson told Press Trust of India.
@IITKgp senate has decided to close Spring2020 semester with academic evaluation based on mid-semester grades, assignments, viva etc.A committee will oversee these factors along with grading scheme, supplementary examination & dept change. Student cooperation is much appreciated.
— IIT Kharagpur🇮🇳 #StayHome #StaySafe (@IITKgp) May 30, 2020
The Senate consists of senior faculty members and a student representative. The decision was taken following discussions during the Senate meeting and feedback received from the students' council in the past couple of days, she said.
"We have arrived at the decision for this semester only as it is getting late and difficult to conduct the exam in June considering travel restrictions with most of the students staying at home," the spokesperson told Press Trust of India.
The institute has around 13,000 students including PhD scholars. Of them, only around 5,000 are currently staying on the campus, she said.
Student representative in the Senate, Ninaad Lohakare said, "For the past few days we have been getting multiple queries regarding our current semester...Now the institute Senate has decided to close the current semester without conducting the end semester examination."
IIT Bombay had also decided to end its spring semester and not conduct the final examination for 2019-20 academic year. The senate had taken the decision in view of convenience to the students currently residing at their native places as their “return to the IIT-B campus in the coming weeks and resumption of the spring semester is highly unlikely”. The minutes of the senate meeting had also stated that even after the lockdown is eased off, there would be challenges associated with students travelling from different parts of the country, upgrading hostels and other facilities and “handling any unexpected situation with all students on campus”.
