Cancel DU final-term exams, say academics

They ask UGC to reconsider guidelines

The UGC’s latest guidelines extend the period for holding the exams.

A group of about 30 academics across the country, including former University Grants Commission chairperson Sukhadeo Thorat, wrote to the current chairperson Dhirendra Pal Singh on Thursday appealing for the cancellation of the final-term examinations.

“I am hoping that as fellow teachers committed to the welfare of our students and the integrity of our examinations, you and your colleagues in the commission will take note of the widespread sentiment that this appeal represents,” wrote Mr. Thorat.

Fresh uncertainty

The UGC’s latest guidelines issued on Monday effectively extend the period for holding the exams and create fresh uncertainty for States that had already decided to cancel exams, the signatories, including Jayati Ghosh, Apoorvanand, Sunil Kumar, Nandini Sundar among others, wrote.

They argued that the call to cancel the exams was not being made because of doubts about its value, but precisely to avoid it being devalued. In the present situation, cancelling exams served the purpose of avoiding extended uncertainty through repeated postponements and protecting the integrity of exams.

Given the realities faced by an overwhelming majority of students, online or mixed exams would be biased in favour of those with better Internet access and without proper invigilation. Terming exams as “open book” was an attempt at renaming failing a virtue, they argued.

They appealed to the UGC to reconsider its advisory in the interests of students and ending the uncertainty involved by cancelling them.