No teachers or infra, experts question how NU colleges will conduct exams

Nagpur: Academicians in Nagpur University have questioned its decision to ask colleges to conduct the final year exams, since a majority of the over 500 affiliated colleges lack required number of regular teachers and even infrastructure.
A majority of colleges are operating with just one regular teacher, who will have to do the entire work of paper setting and evaluation, which would be extremely difficult. In fact, many NU departments too are operating without full strength of full-time teachers, and even its conducted colleges like LIT, department of law and BEd, lack enough teachers.
“Besides shortage teachers, many colleges, particularly in rural areas, lack infrastructure. It would be difficult for them to accommodate a large number of students while following Covid distancing. A majority of institutions, including NU departments, are also functioning with contract teachers and therefore, it wouldn’t be possible for them to conduct the exam,” Central India Law College director SM Rajan said.
State higher and technical education minister Uday Samant had recently written to University Grants Commission (UGC) to exempt Maharashtra from conducting even final year or semester examinations in view of spiralling Covid cases. Some academicians feel that it can’t be a solution, as those degrees wouldn’t have any value, once the Covid-19 pandemic comes to an end.
“If universities aren’t conducting exams, what’s the point in conferring free degrees. It would be better if universities hold exams in winter. They can use techniques like objective type questions, which students can solve online from home. For those who don’t have any access to computers, the respective colleges can make the arrangements. If students are told to solve 100 questions in 60 minutes, it would be difficult for them to copy from books even if giving exams online,” said former management council member Sanjay Khadakkar.
Others, like senior Senate member Manmohan Bajpayee, questioned why NU can’t conduct exams if they believe colleges could do it. He wrote a letter to vice chancellor Murlidhar Chandekar, requesting him not to implement Amravati University’s decision in NU.
“The coronavirus risk would be the same to the students whether exams were conducted by NU or colleges. There’s every chance of manipulation in the exams conducted by colleges and even evaluation would be compromised,” he said.
Rejecting the objections of academicians, NU Board of Examination and Evaluation (BOEE) director Prafulla Sable explained that it would be impossible for NU to conduct exams and declare results within one-and-a-half-months. “It would take us at least three months for us to complete the entire exam schedule and declare results,” he told TOI.