Mumbai: Engineering students appearing for semester examinations in May will be the last batch to have holidays between two examinations, as the Mumbai University (MU) has decided to implement a new rule from the next academic year. From October 2019, there will not be long holiday gaps between examinations, in order to quickly complete the examination process and declare results early.
In an attempt to reduce the examination time (engineering examinations usually go on for over a month), the MU had initially decided to reduce the holidays between examinations from four days to just one day. This would ensure examinations wound up faster and teachers would have more time to complete assessment of answer scripts. This would help with timely declaration of results.
But students are opposed to this decision, claiming they need the holiday gap to prepare for their examinations. Vicky Dasgupta, a student, said, “We prepare for our examinations according to the holiday pattern. We plan our time as per the number of days we get to prepare for each examination, as some papers are difficult and we need sufficient time.”
Another student, Pavitra Chadda, said, “It becomes too hectic if there is no gap between two examinations as the syllabus is vast. Sometimes the four-day gap seems too long but it acts as a breather for us.” A senior MU official said, “We wanted to reduce the examination time so that we can declare results early, as engineering has maximum number of students in various sub-sections.
Also, students could use the spare time to apply for internships before they get their results. The four-day gap between examinations drags on the process unnecessarily for more than a month.” The summer semester examinations for engineering course are scheduled to begin from May 7. The university will announce the final time-table soon.