The Jawaharlal Nehru University will be adopting the online mode for conducting entrance examinations for all its academic programmes from 2019-20 session onwards.
It was decided in a meeting called by the Vice-Chancellor, attended by all Deans and Chairpersons, to discuss the recommendations by a committee formed to study the feasibility of conducting the entrance test online and that the first test will be held in December 2018.
Subjective analysis
For admission to MPhil and PhD however, as per UGC recommendations, there will be a weightage of 70% to the online entrance examination and 30% to the performance in the interview/ viva-voce.
The university has added a provision for schools and centres that feel that a subjective analysis of written skills is a must and that such an evaluation can be done during the interview process when the qualified and short-listed students visit JNU campus.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), however, raised objections about the online mode for conducting entrance examinations saying that the JNU administration’s decision to convert the present robust system of written examination for BA, MA and MPhil-PhD which is conducted in various centres around the country in physical form into online mode defies any logic and reason.
“It seems that the JNU administration is willing to act on the recommendations of the committee formed for conducting JNU entrance examination 2019-20 completely online without any proper discussion with all stakeholders of JNU community,” it said in a statement.
The students added that the recommendations of the panel were dangerous and should immediately be taken back.
The students said that the online examination envisages converting the subjective pattern of evaluation for social sciences, arts and humanities’ students to complete objective form defying all possible academic rationale and logic.
“This idea of complete objective examination defeats the comprehensive evaluation policy of the subjective paper which looks into the holistic requirements in student for MA and MPhil-PhD which covers both the knowledge potential and writing skills,” said the JNUSU.
It added that online examination would be exclusionary for students coming from rural areas as the pattern is more urban centric, denying both access and affordability, thus, excluding the poor, marginalised and socially deprived students.
