Students stage dharna at GC College, demands online exam for TDC Final Semester

Sept 11: Assam University notified the offline schedule for TDC Non-CBCS Final Semester Examination on Friday. As per the schedule, the students will have to attend the said final examination in offline mode (pen & paper) from 29 September onwards. This has led to great resentment among the student community, whose prime demand is to conduct the forthcoming examination in online mode. In this connection, the students had earlier submitted memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Cachar and the Vice Chancellor of Assam University. However, after the publication of the TDC Non-CBCS Exam Schedule on Friday, it became clear that the examination for the final semester students (TDC) will be held in offline mode.

As a result, protesting against this move of conducting examinations in offline mode, students of G.C. College, Silchar sat for a demonstration in front of their main gate. They raised slogans demanding scrapping the decision of the varsity and instead conduct the TDC Final exam in online mode. Speaking during the dharna, one of the students said, “We have already submitted memorandums to the Assam University authority and the college Principals demanding to conduct the TDC Final semester examination in online mode. Keeping in mind the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this was a reasonable demand made by us. None of us is against the conduct of examination, but at the same time, the health hazard that could arise due to offline exam should also be kept in mind.”

The agitating students further said, “UGC in its guideline has also made provision for conducting the exam in online mode/ open book system/ MCQ system. But our university has paid no heed to these guidelines. So today we have sat for this dharna. We will take a forwarding from the Principal of GC College, wherein he will have to give a written assurance that he wants to conduct the exam in online mode. We will then submit that letter of consent by the Principal to Assam University. A similar demonstration will take place in different colleges of the valley. At any cost, we strongly demand for online examination.”

“We are fighting for justice of the TDC 6th semester students. None is trying to understand the present pandemic situation. Many students are in containment zones, some of them are even infected with coronavirus. How can they come and sit for offline examination? Further, during an offline examination, social distancing norms will also be violated. This would further spread the deadly virus. One positive students can spread the virus to many students. Thermal test cannot say with accuracy whether anybody is infected with COVID-19.,” said the students. The students also said that in case their demands are not met, then none of them will sit for the online examination.

On condition of anonymity, a university official said, “The decision to conduct the examination in offline mode is a collective one wherein members from the colleges were also present. Given the practical aspect, it is beyond the capability of all students in every college to sit for online exam. This was tested for the intermediate semester students (TDC 2nd & 4th) who were asked by the colleges to submit assignment in online mode. However, a huge lot of students in the absence of laptops/computers/ internet connectivity failed to do so and rather went physically to their respective colleges to submit the hard copy of the assignments. Now, if such a situation arises during the exam of final semester students, then it will really be a great chaos.”

It needs mention here that the University Grants Commission (UGC) on July 6 issued a circular wherein it was stated that in order to protect the academic future of students “The terminal semester(s)/ final year(s) examinations be conducted by the universities/ institutions by the end of September, 2020 in offline (pen & paper)/ online/ blended (online + offline) mode. A group of students, including one COVID-affected student, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the directives of the UGC. The students had demanded cancellation of final exams as they claimed it to be against the “right to life”. However, the Supreme Court ruled on 28 August that students cannot be promoted without writing the final year examinations, upholding a July 6 directive of the UGC to hold exams by 30 September.

However, the apex court said that if any state government or union territory cannot conduct exams by the September 30 UGC deadline, then they can individually approach the UGC to postpone it. Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Minister of HRD said, “In case a student of terminal semester/ final year is unable to appear in the examination conducted by the University for whatsoever the reason(s) may be, he/she may be given opportunity to appear in special examinations for such course(s)/ paper(s), which may be conducted by the university as and when feasible, so that the student is not put to any inconvenience/ disadvantage.”

Also Read: Assam Univ declares offline exam schedule of TDC final semester