Hyderabad: Opposing its decision to conduct previous semester examinations, several students of the constituent and affiliated colleges under the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) started online protests demanding the University to revoke the decision and promote all students without exams. They were taken aback after the University sent an examination notice last week, stating its decision to conduct final exams to all semester students.
“This second spell of semester exams comprises regular and supplementary examinations of all PG courses and all I-1, II-1, III-1 and IV-1 supply exams of B.Tech and B.Pharm courses. All the I-2, II-2, III-2 (even semester) regular examinations of B.Tech and B. Pharm courses shall be conducted in the third spell of the semester exams, which will commence from last week of October,” the University’s notice on September 21 read.
It had earlier promoted all those students to the next semester based on the internal assessments and the online classes are undergoing for the same. “It is traumatic to juggle between online classes and prepare for exams in such short notice,” says 20-year old Abdul Raqeeb, a student of Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology, an affiliated college under JNTU. “The syllabus of the previous semester was not covered too, as the lockdown put a forced halt on the classes in March. Besides, there is no material available to study and we do not have access to our college library,” he said, talking to siasat.com.
In its notice, the students were given the option to pick three preference centers to take the exams, of which one will be allocated randomly. The students said that the University, in its haphazard move to conduct exams for all, failed to take note of the practical issues that the students face, including transportation and hostel facilities. “Most importantly, it is unfair to put the students’ health at risk amid raging pandemic,” Abdul said.
“The mid-semester exams for the current semester are not far away. How can we study the syllabus of two semesters parallelly?” a final-year student asked. Moreover, final year students who are supposed to appear for supplementary exams of the previous semester are finding it difficult to decide whether to focus on placements or prepare to clear backlogs.
Protesting against the University’s decision, several students also took to boycott the ongoing online classes. After logging in, students inform the class to “boycott the exams in the pandemic” and then log off. Several students have not been attending the classes and some private institutes are recording zero attendance.
Final year student Sanjana supports her juniors’ demands. “I finished writing three of my final semester exams. I would term it a nightmare, for the syllabus was incomplete and there is no literature or books available for us to prepare.” At the exam center too, the atmosphere did not seem safe, she said. She appealed that the University allow students to voluntarily choose between online and offline modes of taking the exam.
Students concur that promoting all unconditionally is an ideal option as many are stuck outside Hyderabad and even the state. “The University is being apathetic to these concerns,” a third-year student said.
Meanwhile, the National Students’ Union of India Telangana President Venkat Balmoor on Tuesday met Manzoor Hussain, the registrar of the University and submitted a representation to promote all the students without further delay.