Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) substitutes a nine-point memorandum to the University Grants Commission (UGC) based on suggestions provided by students.
On 23rd April 2020, in a press release, ABVP revealed that it has submitted a nine-point memorandum to the UGC Expert Committee based on students’ suggestions. The party took detailed suggestions from students from various institutions of higher education in Delhi to draft the memorandum. The institutions include- Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, Ambedkar University, and the Delhi Technological University, amongst others. The suggestions were taken via Google Forms regarding the issues that are being faced by the students during the COVID-19 lockdown and reached out to over 3000 students. The questions were regarding the conduct of examinations in online mode, internal assessments etc, seeking their opinions and suggestions.
The suggestions offered to the expert committee were based on the student replies to these questions. The nine points that were made are:
- The ABVP insisted upon refusal by the student community regarding the adaption of online examinations and insisted that all further decisions regarding the issue be taken after considering the stakeholders.
- Priority is given to the examinations for final year students. These exams should be held after the lockdown is over, and not online.
- The course content for final year students’ exams should be reduced. Only the course covered by in-class lectures should be considered.
- The exams should be conducted at a time decided after considering the lockdowns is all states, so that outstation students can safely and comfortably travel back to their campuses.
- Due to the fact that final year students would have to safeguard future options after the exams, priority should be given to them.
- In case of extension of the lockdown further, examinations for 1st and 2nd-year students of Undergraduate courses and 1st-year students of Postgraduate courses be shifted to future semesters, with the number of papers being evenly distributed.
- Online submissions should not be made compulsory. Students should be given an option for offline submissions.
- ABVP requests that universities should relax the eligibility criteria as far as possible after deliberation with stakeholders to facilitate admissions for final year students and students joining after 12th boards.
- Teachers and students should also be appealed to go the extra mile to complete their academic programs.
Sidharth Yadav, State Secretary, ABVP Delhi, stated in the press release that, “The situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. These are tough times and no such decision that augments the hardships being faced by students must be taken. The recommendations that we have submitted today to the University Grants Commission’s Expert Committee have been arrived upon after detailed deliberations and discussion with students. The suggestions offered by students have been attached with the memorandum. We have rejected the idea of online examinations and we hope that any decision taken by the government will take into account the welfare of students.”
Feature Image Credits: DU Beat
Shreya Juyal