Despite protests by JNTU, Osmania students, no change in exam schedule announces Telangana State Council of Higher Education

A day after hundreds of students from Osmania and Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) held multiple protests over the cancellation of exams, in wake of COVID, the State Council of Higher Education chairperson on Tuesday announced that there will be no change in exams schedule.

The exams will be held offline and as per the earlier schedule, said the chairperson. Speaking to Express, Telangana council of Higher Education chairperson, T Papi Reddy said, "It has been decided that the exams will happen offline, as per the schedule and there will be no change in it." Hundreds of students from OU and JNTU, on Monday, staged a flash protest outside the state education minister's office, demanding postponement of engineering and degree exams.

The protest was led by the Congress's students wing, the National Students Union of India (NSUI). A large number of students took out a rally and gathered outside the Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy's residence in the Srinagar colony, before the police dispersed them. Police allowed NSUI Telangana unit president Venkat Balmoor and Congress leader Aamer Javeed to meet the minister. He had given a representation to her highlighting the potential problems that may emerge following the conducting of exams. They demanded that the minister take an immediate decision on exams.

The students claimed that holding exams is not a viable option as all the students are not yet completely vaccinated. Telangana High Court, on Monday, said that it cannot postpone the degree and PG exams in the state as they have already begun. Dismissing the plea, the High Court stated that the lunch motion petition that NSUI filed was late.

It also questioned their intelligence of filing this petition before the start of this exam and said that they would not interfere after the exams have already begun. "If the HC itself has dismissed the plea and then there is no meaning in cancellation of exams, which is why so are going ahead with it," said T Papi. He added, "If the students can come on roads and in large numbers and in mobs to protest then what is the problem for coming for the exams. During the protest will the virus not affect them?"