After the University of Delhi, the Central University of Tamil Nadu is gearing up to conduct the semester exams for its final year students online. In a circular to its students, the university administration has said that examinations will begin from July 1 'using simple communication technology'. "Considering the timely completion of the examinations which will enable the final year students to receive their provisional certificate to apply for higher studies and jobs, the Central University of Tamil Nadu has decided to conduct End Semester Examinations through online mode. The detailed timetable will be released soon," it reads.
However, this has created a lot of hue and cry among the students, who had gone home when the lockdown began. The final year students have also sent a collective email to the university's Vice-Chancellor and Controller of Examination stating the same. The students say that a lot of them do not have access to connectivity or do not have the required gadgets to write the examination online. "During this countrywide lockdown, students had been mentally stuck and are suffering from a huge depression. The decision taken by our university had boosted this mental illness through forcefully implementing online exams. It is not a democratic move from the side of University towards the student community," reads the email.
The students also tell us that the university hasn't conducted a survey to find out if all the final year students have access to the required technology. "The student council has, however, started a survey now and until now, a majority of the students are against conducting examinations online," says a final year student, who does not wish to be named. "The circular says that one only required 2G connectivity to write the examination, but that sounds logically impossible. I do not get proper network connectivity in my house most of the time. Neither do I have a laptop," he says.
The circular also says that "final year students who have arrear/backlog papers on courses of other semesters will have to appear for examinations for those papers along with intermediary semester students whenever it is conducted". The results of these examinations will be released later. "This is unfair as it stops a lot of students from receiving their degree on time and applying for a job later," says another student.
The circular also says that students who have no access to technology can write the examinations offline after the university reopens. The students, however, called this 'discriminatory'. "This will challenge equality in education where one group will be in ease of getting certificates. This should be revoked and our opinions should be marked," reads the students' email. The students have asked the university now to either conduct all the examinations offline or to cancel the examinations.
We have sent an email to the administration seeking their comments. This copy will be updated once they respond.
