VTU decides to conduct its end semester exams offline. Here's why so many students are against it

The decision of various colleges affiliated with the Visvesvaraya Technological University to conduct their upcoming semester examinations offline has created a lot of hue and cry among the students. Students have now taken to various social media platforms demanding that the colleges conduct their examinations online. They have also written to various authorities and started online petitions demanding the same. More than 200 colleges are affiliated with VTU, which has authority over engineering education throughout the state.

"It's only a few days ago that the college sent us our examination date sheet. Our internal, as well as external examinations, will be held offline, starting from January 4," says a student of New Horizon College of Engineering. "Bengaluru already has a night Curfew, fearing the second wave of COVID. We are really scared to come to college and write exams offline. This will increase our chance of contracting the virus," he says.

Another student from Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology shares similar worries. "Our mid-semester examinations were held online and it was completely hassle-free. In that scenario, what is stopping our college from conducting the end semester examinations online?" he asks. According to a circular, the college will hold its examinations from January 25. "We are scared that this will give rise to an IIT Madras like situation. Our hostel warden had also informed us about two students in our hostel testing positive for COVID," says the student, who is yet to go back to Bengaluru from his hometown. He adds that the batch also has international students who are finding it difficult to come back to India.

A few other students say that they aren't equipped to write the exam, as the syllabus hasn't been completed. "Most of the colleges are merely rushing to complete the syllabus. This, naturally makes us worried and concerned about our safety among other issues such as incomplete syllabus and lack of preparation," says a student from BMS College of Engineering.

While NMIT makes its students sign a consent form before coming to college, according to an email by a BMS faculty, the college doesn't require a consent form. The latter also promises to quarantine COVID positive students separately.