The University Grants Commission has sent a letter to Bengaluru's CHRIST Deemed to be University for deciding to conduct online examinations for its students from June 21. The regulator also asked the university to decide on a mode of evaluation after consulting with the student's council and says that failing to do so will result in punitive action.
The students have been raising their voice against the conducting of the examination for a while now. The UGC's letter to the university was based on a representation made by the National Students' Union of India (Congress' student wing). "Students did not have access to library or books and some of the course teachers have not even provided study material, when the doors were shut. Students had only four weeks of classes to complete around 70 to 75 per cent of the syllabus," reads the letter, which also points out a lack of peer-to-peer learning that occurred due to the pandemic and calls the letter undemocratic.
The letter lists the complaints made by the NSUI and says that a remote online proctored examination may not be possible, considering the digital divide in the country. It asks the university to come up with a decision, consulting all stakeholders. The NSUI's representation seeks an alternative mode of evaluation and to consider the student council while coming up with an evaluation scheme.
An online petition by the students of the university, seeking an alternative mode of evaluation has over 2,000 supporters now. They had asked the authorities to either conduct an Open Book Examination, an Assignment Based Evaluation or a Research Paper based evaluation.