UGC, HRD asked to clear stand on Delhi University final exams

NEW DELHI: Taking serious note of the problems faced by final year students of Delhi University, Delhi high court on Monday asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the central government to convey their stand by Tuesday on holding open book examinations (OBE).
“The UGC and the Union HRD ministry shall take a specific stand as to whether they recommend cancellation of final year examinations,” Justice Pratibha M Singh noted, while hearing a plea by students from Lady Shri Ram and other colleges.
To understand the challenges faced by the students, the high court directed Delhi University to furnish data on the number of students enrolled in the final year and the number of students who have registered for the open book exams.
It sought details of state-wise breakup of students and from where they would appear for the open book exams, along with the preparedness of the varsity website for handling the traffic, keeping in mind the recent glitches faced by students during the mock tests.
The high court took note of the difficulties faced by the students and reminded authorities that “the novel coronavirus outbreak had caused considerable disturbance in the schedules for studies across educational institutions.”
It said that several students may have already obtained employment and would be compelled to report to their jobs, while others may be scheduled to pursue post-graduate studies in India or in foreign countries. “Delhi University is a university of excellence. Studying here is a matter of pride as it attracts the best talent from across the country. Thus, the difficulties of the large expanse of students hailing from different regions need to be kept in mind. They cannot be judged on the basis of facilities available in a city like Delhi or other metros,” the high court observed.
The court said that administrative authorities in-charge of conducting examinations, including UGC and the Centre, ought to also bear in mind that the Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in enormous mental distress and agony to students. There are families that are suffering medical illnesses and appearing for exams is not just a technological issue, but the state of mental preparedness of students also needs to be assessed.”