Let them use sanitiser: Kerala's MG University begins semester exams, despite COVID-19 fear among students

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly brought normal life to a standstill in Kerala like the rest of the country. Schools and educational institutions are closed, movie halls and malls are shut and a lot of people are working from home. However, colleges affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam are in a fix as the varsity is adamant about not changing its examination schedule.
 

The university's examination for fourth-semester undergraduate students began on Tuesday. "There is no change in the prefixed schedule. We are taking all possible precautions to make sure that our students are safe," says Dr Sabu Thomas, the university's Vice-Chancellor. When we sought if this would compromise the students' health, he said, "We have equipped all the rooms with hand sanitisers. Also, if a student shows a higher body temperature, we will get them to write the examination in a separate room." A few days ago, screenshots informing the students that the exams are postponed were doing rounds on social media. Thomas confirms that the screenshots are fake.

Students, however, are raising their voices through different social media platforms, asking the university and other authorities to postpone the exam dates. "Why can't this particular university postpone the examinations like the others? Most of the students are dependent on public transport to get to their colleges. This is putting our lives at risk," says a student. "Examinations will be held in more than 290 colleges under the MG University, which will last until the end of March. Do you know that a single sheet of paper will be touched by more than 50 students and 5 staff? Let's hope none have high-risk contacts," wrote another student.