Many private colleges affiliated to Madurai Kamaraj University are likely to postpone the semester examinations which were scheduled for September 16 onwards, following a direction from the State government.
A discussion was held between Principals and the MKU administration via video conferencing, here on Monday. Vice-Chancellor M. Krishnan, who presided over the meeting, said 80 Principals attended the meeting and discussed the process of conducting the exam online. “Question papers will be mailed to the Principals by 9 a.m. The question papers must be given to the students by 9.45 a.m. so that they start the three-hour exam between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.," he said.
Students can either scan and send their answer sheet via email to the Principal, submit it at the college or send their answer scripts via post by 2 p.m. for evaluation. “In case the students do not have email facility, the Principals can consider sending the questions via WhatsApp. The reason should be genuine though,” he said.
According to sources, a number of queries regarding logistics and the conduct of the exams were raised.
Principal of Saraswathi Narayanan College M. Kannan, who attended the meeting, said they were yet to get clarity on many questions raised to the administration. His college had initially scheduled the final year exams this week but had postponed them to September 21.
“The administration has said that only 80% of the students have access to internet connectivity. How are we to accommodate the 20% who may not have a connection? Many students do not have smartphones and may feel inferior to those who may possess them. They may also believe that it may cost them marks during the exam. Many students may also not have the necessary internet bandwidth for the exam even if they do have a smart phone," he said.
General secretary of Madurai Kamaraj University Private Colleges Management Association S. Rajagopal said there were no means to supervise students during the online exam. “We are treading uncharted territory. Future of many students could be spoiled,” he said.
