Delhi University on Wednesday postponed exams for the final year students of Undergraduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) students to August 15. However, students and teachers continued their protest demanding scrapping of the exams.
The university has postponed the exams for a second time: the exams were first due on July 1, but were postponed to July 15. On both occasions, the university could not manage to hold the mock test. “It is notified that the Open Book Examination (OBE) for all streams of final year/semester/term of undergraduate and postgraduate students including SOL and NCWEB scheduled to be held from July 10 stands postponed. The OBE will now start after 15th August whereas the revised date sheets and other relevant information shall be notified in due course,” said Vinay Gupta, Dean Examinations, DU, in the notification.
The postponement came after a DU law student and Delhi Pradesh President, National Student Union of India (NSUI), Akshay Lakra moved a challenging the DU’s decision to hold OBE exams and demanded promotion of students on the basis of previous performance. The varsity informed the court that it would postpone the examination to August 15.
Around 4.5 lakh question papers were downloaded and around 1.5 lakh students gave the mock test exam, showing their readiness to take the exam. There are 2.5 lakh students in UG courses enrolled in DU.
“We hope to win in the court. The demand and stand of the NSUI is very clear that these online exams should be cancelled and the students promoted,” said Lakra.
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A student of PGDAV College said, “This is mental harassment of students. Postponing exams like this creates anxiety. The university should now cancel the exams.” Demanding promotion of students, Dr Pankaj Garg, Convenor, INTEC, and former member of the Academic Council, said postponing final year exams is not the right step.
“This is not the time to experiment with the future of students. The university should cancel the exams and declare the results on the basis of past performance.”
“The site crashed within a few minutes of releasing the notice of OBE postponement. The university released the notification twice due to errors and wrong information,” said Rajesh Jha, a member of Executive Council.
Professors demand scrapping of exams
In a Facebook post, DUTA president Rajib Ray said: “MHRD-UGC don’t play with the lives of students and teachers! Repeated postponement of OBE in DU proves its untenability. Don’t increase students’ anxiety and stress. Cancel OBE has been and remains our demand – it is discriminatory, promotes unfair practices and penalizes honest students.”
Courtesy: The New Indian Express
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