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Amidst digital divide and furthering inequality the University Grants Commission (UGC) has expressed its concerns with relation to online mode as alternative.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) hints towards the incapability of the country’s potential in resorting to online mode of examinations for all of its university students, as such a means appears to be a distant prospect in all likelihood.

A seven member committee headed by R.C. Kuhad, Vice Chancellor, Haryana University was formed by UGC in the previous week to dive into the matters of academic sessions and examinations of higher education. This committee has expressed it’s qualms over India’s lack of resources and infrastructure, when it comes to conducting online exams. The alternative of online exams came in the first place due to the postponement of final exams by the majority of Central Universities in wake of prevention from the widespread contamination of the COVID-19.

“We have received some serious concerns and various suggestions regarding holding exams, and we are working towards finding a solution,” said R.C. Kuhad in a statement made to The Print. The committee has supposedly submitted their report to the government on 13th April 2020. The theme of the discussion is more on further postponement of exams until future clarification than on online exam conduction.

An official told The Print while highlighting the lack of confidence in online exams as a prospect alternative, “Online examinations in universities look like a remote possibility, because we do not have a mechanism of conducting exams through online mode. Also, there are many students who are in rural areas, or areas that do not have proper access to facilities. How will they be able to write exams?” The official further added, “These are the questions that the committee is dealing with, and is tilting against the idea of having online exams. What they are looking at, instead, is suggesting that the universities conduct exams after June, once the schools and colleges are open. We also agree with the idea that universities are not capable of holding online examinations.

Statements retrieved from The Print where another UGC official expressed lack of confidence in infrastructure and questioned, “How will the universities make sure students are not cheating sitting at home? How will they ensure this facility is not misused? There are a lot of concerns that the stakeholders will have to look at.”

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) also reiterated similar concerns in a statement issued on Sunday saying, “Online education models cannot be a substitute to regular classroom teaching. It does not work in a country where internet connectivity and smartphones are limited to a class of students only.”

The Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), an RSS-affiliated teacher’s body also gave suggestions to the UGC regarding- prioritising the examinations of final semester students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and also avoiding of mass promotion of students to next semester without exams.

Agnitra Ghosh, an assistant professor at department of Journalism of Kamala Nehru College, expressed his concerns to DU Beat, saying,”The idea of online examination, we believe, is not at all viable and discriminatory, especially for students from deprived backgrounds. While we are taking online lectures, there are several issues like problems with connectivity, threats to privacy etc.”.  He further added, “As  soon as the university reopens, the examination should take place after completing the teaching process (internal assessment etc).”

“There are more than nine lakh students in Delhi University who are waiting to write their exams. Keeping their future in mind, we have begun preparations for conducting online exams. But we are still awaiting directions from UGC to go ahead with the plan,” Vinay Gupta, Dean of Examinations at DU, said as reported by The Print.

This move of proceeding with the online exams in Delhi University is opposed by teacher’s bodies like DUTA and student bodies like the KYS. A majority of Universities are waiting for the UGC to signal guidelines which as of date are not very convinced about the potential of the conduct of online methods.

Feature Image Credit: DU Beat Archives

Umaima Khanam

[email protected]

 

The students from the School of Open Learning (SOL) ended their hunger strike on Thursday after a meeting was proposed by the SOL authorities.

The students and activists of the Krantikari Yuva Sanagathan (KYS) undertook a hunger strike to oppose the implementation of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS), which was to be introduced in SOL in the current academic session. The strike, which commenced on Tuesday, ended as a meeting was proposed by the authorities to resolve these issues.

As reported earlier, the decision to introduce semester system was taken during an emergency meeting of the University’s Executive Council (EC) on Saturday, 17th August 2019, but four members recorded their dissent to the idea.

Akansha, a B.Com student from SOL said, “Government ne article 370 hataane se pehle nahi pucha SOL kya cheez hai? (Government did not ask before scrapping article 370, what is SOL compared to that?)

In 2015, DU had decided to drop annual examinations and paved way for the semester examinations for all its regular colleges under CBCS. However, SOL was exempted since there were no regular classes for these students. The students only had a single examination in May as opposed to two exams during the months of November and May. The latest decision would bring SOL at par with regular colleges.

This decision faced a lot of backlash from the students as it was implemented in haste and the material of the annual mode of exam had already been distributed. Until a few days ago, students of were studying the same annual mode syllabus.

As reported by Outlook India, on Thursday, the students attempted to return their academic books but they were refused by the SOL authorities. Subsequently, in protest, they dumped their materials outside the SOL building, which lead to the management of SOL calling a meeting with the delegates.

Feature Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat

Stephen Mathew

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The Econometrics exam of second-year B.A (Hons.) Economics was conducted on 22nd May 2019. It had a lot of errors which created a problem for many students.

The last exam of B.A. (Hons) Economics for the fourth semester students was conducted by the University on 22nd May 2019.  According to sources, the Econometrics question paper was full of errors which created a lot of confusion among the students. In Jesus and Mary College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharam College, and Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, students were informed about the corrections around 11:40 a.m. which was very late. By that time it was not feasible to attempt the questions according to the new changes. However, many colleges like Hindu College and Deshbandhu College did not receive the corrections at all.

In one of the questions, there was a change of sign from ‘+’ (positive sign) to ‘-’ (negative sign). This created a huge problem for those students who had already attempted the question with the positive sign since the paper was extremely lengthy. Moreover, the students were not left with any time to make the changes.

Riya, a student of Maitreyi College said, “Due to the hassle of errors and corrections in the exam, the students sitting in the examination hall felt distracted and I found it harder to concentrate. One of the corrections came around 10:30 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. I had already attempted half of that question. After the change in the signs, I had almost no time to redo the question since the paper was lengthy in itself.”

A student of Hindu College informed DU Beat that the students were not informed about any corrections and the exam was pretty easy. However,  the students are now worried about their marks since the paper they attempted wasn’t uniform with the other colleges.

According to a student of Kamala Nehru College, except for the first and second question, all the other questions had major errors. “There were corrections or clarifications in almost every question and the usual format of writing standard errors below the estimated error further below the estimated parameters was not followed which led to confusions. Some questions also had wrong signs of ‘T ratios’ but since there wasn’t much time, nothing could be done about it”, said Sanjana Sejwal, a student of Kamala Nehru College.

However, another student of Kamala Nehru College says, “The errors in the questions I attempted were general so I did not face much problem. The changes in the answers were also a matter of few minutes. So overall the exam was fine for me.”

It is also important that the University should recheck the question papers for any corrections beforehand so that the students do not face any problem during the examination. Making corrections in the question paper at the last moment also leads to low confidence level during the exams. Announcing the corrections in the examination hall distracts many students and creates a panicky situation.

A similar situation arose in the General Elective exam where there was a change in the format of the question paper and students were supposed to attempt five questions out of eight instead of four. It must be noted that some colleges asked students to attempt only four questions whereas students of other colleges were asked to attempt five questions.

However, it is necessary that the University and the Examination Committee looks into the matter and work out a solution which helps the students.

 

Feature Image Credits: Edexlive

Priya Chauhan

[email protected].

A Keshav Mahavidyalaya student was recently thrown out of the examination hall on account of the alleged misjudgment of the invigilator.

A University of Delhi (DU) student was recently subjected to misjudgment on account of the invigilator while writing her exam. The student, Shweta Yadav is from Keshav Mahavidyalaya and was writing her accounts examination when the examiner wronged her for cheating and snatched the paper away, fifteen minutes prior to the completion time.

According to Shweta, it all started when the student was asked to fill up the details and tie the supplementary answer script by the invigilator. Upon constant insistence, she did the necessary. The student had done some rough work on the question paper, which was objected by the invigilator. However, instead of a warning, her paper was snatched and she was asked to leave the examination hall with the invigilator’s assertion that, “tumhe pata haina paper par nahi likhte? Ab nikal jao ho gaya paper”. The student stated this as she had to leave a 27 mark question due to the ruckus.

Image Credits: Shweta Yadav
Image Credits: Shweta Yadav

The student was sitting on the first bench and she informed that there was no scope of cheating or exchanging of papers. She did not even have the intention to do so. The rough work was a simple mathematical calculation done in a hurry. Despite apologizing to the invigilator, the student was not given her answer script back, and was asked to leave the premises of the examination hall that very moment. The invigilator was from the Mathematics department of the college.

Shweta mentions she has had a word with a member of CYSS regarding this issue right after the examination ended.
She also adds that she hasn’t received any information from the administration and the concerned invigilator, but the Students Union is aware of this situation and has enquired her to look upon a solution for this.

The wrongful harassment on account of examination invigilators should be kept in check, and brought into the limelight. The college student unions should be more assertive in their role and attend the discrepancies faced on account of the students.

 

Feature Image Credits: Justdial

 

Avnika Chhikara

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Revaluation for semester results at the University of Delhi may seem complicated, but here is a guide to simplify the process.

University of Delhi (DU) has started to announce results for the academic session 2018-19. Revaluation is an effective tool for students who are dissatisfied with their results.The revaluation process was scrapped off by Delhi University in 2013. But due to continuous protests by the students and Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), the administration re-introduced the system in the University in 2014.

According to the official Delhi University Information Centre, “Revaluation means to re-evaluate the paper of a particular subject completely. For this, a candidate has to completely surrender their original marks of a particular subject and accept the final result as declared by the University as a result of revaluation.”

The revaluation form can be downloaded from the University website, i.e., www.du.ac.in . It has to be filled by the candidate and has to be submitted to the Revaluation Cell Counter in the Examination Branch of North or South Campus between 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or 1:30 pm to 3:00 p.m.. The revaluation fee per paper is Rs.1000/- and has to be duly submitted with the application form. The form has to be attested either by the Principal or the Head of the Department.

The rules prescribed by the University are as follows:

  1. Revaluation is allowed only for theory papers of non-professional courses, which have not been jointly valued.
  2. No second applications for the same paper shall be accepted.
  3. It shall be applied for within two weeks of the declaration of the result.
  4. The Candidate is required to produce a photocopy of their current Admission Ticket and/or statement of marks for verification of Roll No., marks etc., at the time of submission of application form for revaluation and also to attach self-address envelope of 9 x4 size with postal stamp worth Rs.5/- affixed, for sending revaluation result.  
  5. After completion, the new results will be uploaded on the university website, www.du.ac.in. under the results portal after four to five months.
  6. The revised result may entail either entail no change, an increase or decrease in the candidate’s marks.

Documents required for the same are as follows:

  1. Photocopy of the candidate’s current Admission Ticket and Statement of Marks.
  2. Duly filled and signed revaluation form.
  3. Entries in the form must be verified from the Principal of the candidate’s college. (Students may contact the Administration Office of their college for the same)

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Anoushka Sharma

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Nikita Bhatia

[email protected]

As a part of University of Delhi’s Republic Day gift, the backlogs of all students from their previous university examination will be removed, with effect from the November-December 2017 semester exam results.

In an attempt to pacify the increasingly growing crowd of students failing, the Executive Council of Delhi University came up with the idea of clearing the pending backlogs of students from the immediately preceding semester. Following this declaration on Monday, some students were seen rejoicing the decision, while others were visibly distressed about the unprecedented spike in marks and subsequent competition this decision would bring.

However, after probing into the matter, DU Beat found that this decision is not devoid of conditions. A student can only clear his/her backlogs provided the attendance in that particular subject in the last semester exceeds 85%. The rationale employed behind this is to credit the daily commitment of the few students who are willing to work, and despite of their hard work are unable to perform well in the university examinations. The backlog would be cleared and the student would be given a 4 grade point for that subject, that is, the minimum passing marks. This move has received flak from the student community and teachers alike, and has necessitated an urgent inquiry by the Human Resources ministry into the underlying facets of the Delhi University examinations.

Radhika Boruah, a student majoring in Economics at Daulat Ram College has objected to this resolution. She has asserted that this step disregards a bright student’s efforts and places them in the same category as those who are less deserving. On the other hand, Niharika Dabral, a student at Cluster Innovation Center (CIC) has contended that this opportunity is available to those who genuinely put efforts into studying and still are not able to score as much, or fail because of unforeseen circumstances.

Since this rebound is available only to a selected few, it is bound to create hullabaloo in the University campus. North Campus was seen brimming with protests demanding a roll back of this sudden “gift”. Many student political outfits have lead protests and have roped in teachers’ associations as well. Delhi University Teaching Staff (DUTS) has lent its support for these protest marches and have written to the Executive Council to demand an urgent probe into the matter. Desh Singh, a member of DUTS has also sent a written appeal to the concerned government officials. He has stated that this is a mala fide attempt by the DU officials to appease to the student masses and not aimed at their actual benefit. DU Beat tried reaching out to these officials to no avail. Considering the current heated atmosphere, there is high likelihood that the government will force DU to roll back this decision, or clarify the contents of this “gift” on an urgent basis.

*Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is a humorous, light hearted column that should only be appreciated and not accepted.

 

Feature Image Credits: PinArt

Vijeata Balani

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“Where words fail, music speaks”- Hans Christian Andersen 

There are numerous certifications in music that are available in India and certification offered by Trinity College of London is one of them.Trinity College London is an international examination board for Performing Arts and English language since 1877. Every year, it conducts assessments across the world to support artists to equally learn music with defined syllabi for each instrument. The board conducts assessment for varied kind of music such as pop, jazz, classical and rock. There are nine grades for assessment that includes the initial level and goes up to Grade 8.

Certificate exams consist of a mini-recital of pieces, including the option to present own choice repertoire. There is no technical work and no supporting tests. After the graded examinations there are varied programmes/diplomas for musicians who plan to concentrate in their principal instrument.

Why should you take up the Trinity Exam? 

Well, it is a very simple answer. Say for instance you’ve recently started schooling. It is obvious the teacher is going to teach you the letters of the English alphabet. The teacher is definitely not going to jump levels and start your childhood by teaching you Shakespeare or Tennyson. Similarly, in a board like Trinity, as it is not “our” music as such, we get to learn the details from the very beginning with the defined syllabus and it keeps getting deeper and elaborate as one climbs up the grade ladder. Trinity works are strictly scrutinized by a number of regulatory boards worldwide. Additionally, if you plan to join an orchestra or apply to a music school, its always a ready qualification with you.

Support from Guildhall School of Music is a stand out. Due to this, the board appreciates diversity in music learning rather than constricting to the previous syllabus that was more restricted towards Classical approach. Some of the famous music schools in the NCR region that follow this board are – The Delhi School of Music, Theme, GMI and many more. These schools and many more in the NCR region, follow this curriculum and the student enrolled in these schools can choose their preferred board. If an applicant is not a part of these schools, he/she could apply to the Trinity Delhi office and request for an examination slot. Similar to our education system, there are many boards that give the opportunity to apply for certificated or diplomas in India, but one should clearly prioritize his/her direction before opting for any particular board.

Recognising that some candidates wish to take a recital-based assessment, Trinity’s certificate exams are designed to offer an alternative to grade exams by focusing on the performance of a complete mini recital. Specifically, certificate exams allow candidates to:  select from three levels of assessment representing three key stages of musical development — Foundation (equivalent to Grade 3), Intermediate (equivalent to Grade 5) and Advanced (equivalent to Grade 8)  programme their own mini recitals drawn from specially provided repertoire lists and their own repertoire choices  gain additional marks for programme planning, programme notes and presentation skills  receive precise and specific feedback to inform their continued musical development  prepare for Trinity’s recital diplomas, which follow the same format as certificate exams. As well as incorporating these innovative features, Trinity’s certificate exams are delivered by a panel of friendly examiners who are rigorously trained and standardised. This aims to create a positive and personalised experience for all candidates.

SUBJECTS OFFERED: 

Solo certificates are currently available in the following subjects: 

Singing 
Piano 
Electronic keyboard (Foundation and Intermediate levels only) 
Flute 
Clarinet 
Saxophone 
Recorder 
French horn 
Trumpet/Cornet/Flugel horn 
Trombone (Intermediate and Advanced levels only)
Tuba 
Violin 
Viola 
Cello (Intermediate and Advanced levels only) 
Double bass 
Pedal harp 
Non-pedal harp (Intermediate and Advanced levels only) 
Guitar 
Drum kit 
Accordion

Certificate exams are available for ensembles comprising any combination of instruments and/or voices, including Rock & Pop groups. Information on Rock & Pop group certificates can be found in the Rock & Pop syllabus, available at www.trinityrock.com/syllabus

For more information about application procedure, courses and syllabus, you can go to the following link:

http://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=1686&utm_source=jump&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=certificateexams

You can also find your registered Trinity Centre with the following link :

http://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=616

Image Courtesy: http://www.trinitycollege.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/discover_banner.jpg 

Sidhant R. Seth
[email protected]

There comes a time in our life when all of us need a dose of inspiration to carry on. Exam season is one such phase. During the preparation leave, one can easily be distracted. This is the time when you literally crave to anything, other than to sit and study. On the name of exams and preparation, one spends hours on just making useless time tables and schedules which are seldom followed. This is the time of year where cleaning your wardrobe and that C-grade rom-com looks like a more lucrative alternative. And yeah, then there are some who can’t just get enough of books and the memory pills. So here are few quotes for every type of student out there, read on!

  1. For the “Procrastinators”

If you want to see how the easy stuff can look mighty difficult, then you can keep procrastinating and wait till the day before your exam.

Image credits: http://www.myquotesclub.com/
Image credits: http://www.myquotesclub.com/

 

  1. For “Miss/Mr. Excuse-giver”

You can find all the excuses to not study that subject or sub-topic or you can just use that time actually finish it and move on to the next thing!

Image credits: https://kelsieswan.files.wordpress.com
Image credits: https://kelsieswan.files.wordpress.com

 

  1. For “I’m waiting for the right moment!”

When is that right moment going to come? Exams are around the corner. Stop waiting for your stars to align to open your books. Get to work, NOW!

Image credits: http://theultralinx.com/
Image credits: http://theultralinx.com/
  1. For “I forgot everything I studied for the exam”

Don’t go crazy, study other things. You are thinking too much, just don’t!

Image credits: http://s-p-r-i-n-g.tumblr.com/post/16910986573
Image credits: http://s-p-r-i-n-g.tumblr.com/post/16910986573
  1. For “I can’t find the answers”

It’s not imperative for the answer to be complicated and difficult. You just need to de-clutter your mind and the answer may be just in front of you and pretty simple!

Image credits: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/
Image credits: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/
  1. For “I need a break, I’m tired!”

This is not the time to be tired, get up and finish the task at hand. Not the time to give up.

Image credits: https://sprinklesoffaith.files.wordpress.com/
Image credits: https://sprinklesoffaith.files.wordpress.com/
  1. For “why am I even doing it?”

Well, because you want to pass in the exam. Need I say more?

Image credits: http://41.media.tumblr.com/
Image credits: http://41.media.tumblr.com/
  1. For the “quitters”

Stop self-pitying, try harder.

Image credits: www.innogise.com
Image credits: www.innogise.com
  1. For “I’m struck”

If you can’t do it, move on. Do the next topic. Just don’t keep waiting for it to click and end up leaving a lot of other important stuff!

Image credits:  www.flickr.com
Image credits:  www.flickr.com
  1. For “Miss/Mr. Under-Confident”

Stop worrying, just study. You’ve been studying for more than a decade now. It’s not something new, you can do this. You do well in exams, if you actually start studying and stop worrying your little mind.

 

Image credits: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/
Image credits: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/

 

  1. For the ultimate “pessimist”

There would be a lot of things you won’t be able to do but, that doesn’t mean things would be bad in future. Work hard today and future will be better.

Image credits: http://www.dumpaday.com/
Image credits: http://www.dumpaday.com/

 

Feature image credits : quotesgram.com

Nidhi Panchal

[email protected]

After the overnight reduction in marks of students, this is the second time Delhi University has messed up marks of first year students. Two second year students of Indraprastha College for Women, the Mass Communication department suffered due to university negligence as they were marked absent for two exams which they actually sat for, thus getting ERs in those subjects.

When the web results were displayed, there were ERs against their names for two subjects. It was only after they were handed the mark sheet that they discovered their ERs were not due to bad performance but because their papers never reached the examiners and thus they were marked absent. Perplexed, they went to the examination officer of IP college Mr. Aakash, as advised by their teacher.

Akanksha Chitkara, one of the girls who suffered said that she was so disappointed to see an ER in the same paper for which she got a merit certificate in class 12, and could not believe her eyes. Both the girls were flabbergasted as neither expected ERs.

They were asked to write an application and attach photocopies of their mark sheets, attendance proof and ID cards to it and send it to the university office. “When we told the officer at the university about what happened and gave him our application, he just nonchalantly tossed it aside and asked us to come after 15 days” said a dejected Akansha Chitkara. There have received no word since that day.

The overnight reduction of marks, the mix up of question papers and now this fiasco. The question it raises is whether DU is equipped to handle the semester system. The university will have to tread carefully in future and avoid such blunders.