Hundreds of students from various degree colleges of Hubballi, Dharwad, and surrounding places marched to the Karnatak University campus on Thursday, opposing the university’s decision to hold examinations for first, third, and fifth semester students.
Karnatak University has 261 affiliated colleges in Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, and Uttara Kannada districts. On Thursday, hundreds of students staged the protest under the banner of the National Students Union of India (NSUI). They congregated in front of the office of the Vice-Chancellor and demanded that the exams be cancelled and the students promoted to next semester.
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The protesters said that as per the calendar of events, Karnatak University should have conducted degree exams in March. However, because of various reasons such as the pandemic-induced lockdown and related restrictions, they were put off indefinitely.
The protesters said that now the university had announced the time table for the exams, to be conducted in August. However, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had issued a circular directing all universities to terminate all semester exams and hold exams only for the final-semester students. The UGC had also asked the universities to promote the students of first, third and fifth semesters based on internal marks.
But now, violating the UGC circular, Karnatak University has decided to conduct exams from August 16, the students alleged. The students said that they were already facing problems, with many in rural areas unable to attend online classes due to connectivity issues.
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