The indefinite postponement of the odd semester examinations for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes by the government, due to the COVID-19 situation, has not gone down well with a substantial section of students as well as teachers, going by the observation of college heads.
Students who were in the midst of serious preparation for the offline exam, as per the earlier plan (after January 20) say they are disillusioned.
"The sense of seriousness that was infused into the examination system after the government was determined to conduct it offline now seems diluted; the indefinite postponement is unwarranted. It is now difficult to say if we would take the next schedule of examinations seriously, be it online or offline," an undergraduate student of a city college said.
On their part, teachers, by and large, say the determination of the State Government to conduct offline exam for the students was well-intended.
According to them, the struggle the students had faced in writing internal exams in offline mode after a lengthy gap of nearly two years was a warning signal that the consequences of continuous online exams will be disastrous.
They are aware of the indications that employers are wary of recruiting candidates who had passed out through online exams during the COVID-19 period.
It was in this context that many teachers opine that the schedule of the odd semester examination, which was to have begun during the first week of December, 2021, need not have been postponed in the first place.
"Apparently, the government was forced to postpone the exam due to protests by students. But, academic activities must be obliterated from politically-instigated protests. For, it is about moulding a generation. Why is it that the government, the political set up, the media and the legal system take it for granted that institutions must be closed whenever there is a scare of infection, and do not seem to be bothered about the confluence of people in unsafe conditions in marketplaces, malls and showrooms? No doubt, the pandemic must be addressed with safety protocols in place. But, entirely closing down institutions and paralysing the higher education system should never be an option at all," the college principal said.
“Had the government taken the views of academicians on an even keel with that of administrators, a balanced decision could have been taken,” a senior professor said, adding that even now it was not late for positive intervention.
"Given the exigency, the government could well consider conducting the odd-semester exam in offline mode in a staggered manner. The exams must first be conducted for final year UG and PG students necessarily, so that they will be able to pass out at the end of the academic year at an ideal juncture for pursuing further studies or taking up jobs," the senior professor said requesting anonymity.
There will be enough time to handle students in first and intermediate years with flexible approaches. But, the interests of the final year students must not be compromised, he emphasised.
