Cluster University students raise concerns over end semester examsVC Says Varsity Bound By UGC Guidelines

Rehan showkat

Srinagar, Jun 2: (GNS) With the current academic session seeing least activity after the outbreak of novel Coronavirus pandemic, students at Cluster University Kashmir are caught in a dilemma over the decision from varsity administration to go ahead with the exams.
A group of students on phone, from various parts of the Valley, while reacting to the Varsity orders directing them to submit exam forms to appear in end semester exams next month, told GNS that, they simply are not in the position to appear in the exams given the multiple concerns due to the prevailing pandemic.”We as students have been caught between the devil and the deep sea”, the students said, adding, “On one side while this virus threat is looming large we at the same time are being asked to prepare ourselves to appear in exams.”
“Who on earth will appear in exams in such times and with particular to the case of students in Valley, it is altogether a different and tedious thing even to think about”, the students said.
“For the whole academic session going haywire, leaving us literally with little or no scope for preparation, it became altogether difficult with the deprivation of even basic internet facility for a larger part of the time”, the students said.
“We have no material to study from and no other facility to avail from, a student from Karnah said, adding, “We want the university administration to relook into the decision in the best interests of students.”
Another girl student from Tanghdar said that it was not possible for them to reach the venues even if the exam goes as per schedule.”How will it be possible for students from our area to reach the exam venue amid these tough times, where everyone is running to his safety on seeing other fellow-being,” she said.Another student, from Brane Nishat said that it was not possible for him to appear in the exams as “resident of a red zone area.””Any sheer misreading and miscalculation of the situation can lead us to a major catastrophe”, the student added.
When contacted Vice-Chancellor of the Varsity Javed Iqbal told GNS that though they have promoted the students of second and fourth semesters to the subsequent ones but with respect to the sixth-semester students they are bound by the UGC guidelines.
“The students of two even semesters have been promoted based on their internal assessment”, he said adding, “we have to conduct exams for outgoing students as necessitated by UGC (University Granted Commission) guidelines.”
In a bid to ease out the things for such students, he said, “we have decided to do away with descriptive type question papers and instead deiced MCQs (Multiple Choice Question/Objective type question set).” He added: “Even then we have curtailed the duration of exams to one hour only to facilitate the students which would ultimately help for timely evaluation.”
To allay the concerns of students appearing in the exams amid the COVID19 threat, he said that the students should bear it in mind that it still is a tentative proposal for the second week of July, adding, “untill the circumstances allow us after proper assessment we won’t go forward, for we equally care for the health and well-being of our students.”
“For this month at least, we are not going to conduct any examination”, he reiterated.”If the situation allowed us we will ensure proper social-distancing with proper screening of the students and officials alike at the time of examinations. There would be only twenty students allowed to sit in one hall”, the official said.
When asked regarding facilities for students from far-off places to the exam venues’ at Srinagar, he said, “Once the things allow us we will provide all such students with hostel facility for that time to accommodate them and also the transport facility to ferry them to the venues.”
Admitting the fact that the students have been deprived of any preparation for the proposed exams with no classroom study, no study material and frequent internet gagging in the Valley, he said that they are looking into it and are seeking measures to minimise the loss as much as they can.
“We know students now a days are dependent on internet and the books are also not with them, but if we procrastinate it would lead to the students losing an already battered academic year”, he said, adding, “We are mulling over to designate a person to each of these areas to deliver the study to any nearest location, where from it is not possible for the students to reach us. Give us some time to review the things and hopefully measures will be rolled out to make these examinations as student friendly as we can, he added. (GNS)