Guru Gobind Singh Indraprasth University, a Delhi state university has recently decided to go for offline exams of its final year students completely ignoring the genuine concerns of students and going against their own circular to conduct online exams issued in June.
It all started in June when GGSIPU circulated that if exams not held by 20 July then there will be only online exams and no physical offline exams due to growing pandemic. The number of cases in Delhi at that time was between 1000 and 2000 cases.
Subsequently, Delhi CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal and M Sisodia personally announced on media in July 2020 that all the final yr exams of Delhi state univ stand canceled citing risk to life in pandemic and negligible syllabus covered as college were closed since March 2020. They fought in Supreme Court also against exams. Lately, Delhi govt even resisted for conducting physical exams of JEE and NEET in Delhi.
But Supreme Court ordered on 28 August 2020 that final year exams must be conducted as per UGC guidelines according to which the exams can be online, offline, or blended mode. Dates for conducting exams were left to the state govt depending on the COVID situation and exam preparation.
All state Govt having high corona cases like Maharashtra, West Bengal, MP are going for online exams for safety mostly in October 2020 to give time for preparation. Since a declaration for cancelation of final yr exams was done by CM Delhi for all Delhi state univ many students left for their hometown in July. They left preparation also. After the SC order of 28 August, students were waiting for a fresh declaration from Delhi Govt for dates and mode of exams.
While other states were prompt to declare their exams strategy within 4 days of the SC Order but Delhi state Govt kept mum and never responded to a number of emails and tweets of students.
As late as on 9th Sept GGSIPU suddenly gave a shocking circular that final yr exams shall be held OFFLINE as normal physical exams from 21 Sept 2020. So they gave only an 11 days notice for preparing for final exams, for returning back of students to Delhi, and that too in offline mode. Students were shocked.
Students never expected such a U-turn from Delhi Govt who was so firmly opposing any type of exams in corona time which is now GGSIPU also went against their earlier order of conducting online exams if delayed beyond 20 July.
To add to students’ problems they have given a date sheet on 11 Sept for 5 exams in 5 days. No gap. So, students have to now risk their lives to give offline exams when corona cases have broken all records in Delhi. Its 4200 cases per day. Delhi has the highest density of coronal cases population-wise and area wise.
It seems that this decision was taken in haste as many issues were left unaddressed. How the students from outstation come with no transportation, where will they stay as a hostel, PG vacated.
How they will give exams in 11 days’ notice with less than 50 % syllabus covered (colleges closed since March ). How they will give daily exams without a gap as most of them have to travel long distances daily to centers with little transport.
Students are Shocked and under a lot of mental stress and crying by this U-Turn by the Delhi govt and the callous attitude towards such a serious issue of exams. They are treating these helpless students like robots. It’s totally inhuman.
Students have sent numerous emails, tweets on # IPU_Exams, etc but no response.
Delhi govt has now turned it’s back and just ignoring it after promising so high to its student. They should not have raised such high hope earlier. Now students left alone.
Students pleading with the Delhi Government Ravi Tiwari, Nidhi Singh, Bhagwati Sinha, Deeksha, and many others.
Journalism News Network Team request to honorable Delhi CM and VC of the university to kindly look into this matter asap and do the needful to help students from this stress and at the same time keeping them safe from COVID 19.