Although the State and Central governments are yet to decide on when colleges will resume, a few colleges in the city have plans to open in the first week of July. One college has scheduled undergraduate practicals for June 15.
Managements have instructed students from other States to plan their return to Bengaluru in such a way as to quarantine themselves for 14 days.
National College at Jayanagar informed students last week that practical examinations will begin on June 15. Teachers have informed students that they will have to produce a certified letter from authorities that they have complied with quarantine norms.
B.R. Parineetha, principal, National College, Jayanagar said that the examination timetable announced was tentative. “We will follow the government’s decision, but we want students to be prepared to appear for the exams. If students are in other States, we want them to return and make sure that they follow the quarantine protocol,” she said. The college has started collecting examination fees; students who cannot pay online can visit the campus to do so.
Students are unhappy with this decision and claim they were not informed that the dates were tentative. A second-year BA student said, “We questioned teachers why the examinations were scheduled before the government had taken a decision. Some students even asked if the college would take responsibility if they contracted the virus on campus.”
Students of Mount Carmel College (MCC) claim to have received similar instructions with July 1 as the scheduled examination date. They have started an online petition appealing for the college to postpone the semester end examinations until normalcy is restored or to make arrangements for them to appear for the papers online.
Sr. Arpana, principal of MCC, said that the management had neither decided on the examination dates nor had asked students to return to Bengaluru. “There was some miscommunication. We have asked students to follow announcements on the website, and not listen to anyone, including their teachers,” she said. “MCC has always kept the interests of students in mind. The college website and student portal are the only primary authentic sources of information.”
A second-semester student of a pharmacy college claims that she was told to return to Bengaluru at the earliest. “I am unable to return (from West Bengal), but the college management wants me to return immediately if I need to appear for the examination in two weeks,” she said.
Online examinations
A few colleges have shifted the entire examination process online, especially for final-year students who have placements that will start soon and will need to show their final-year marks sheet to their employers.
Students have been instructed to ensure that they have laptops or other devices, but online examinations have disadvantages, too. A video of a Benglauru engineering college professor asking students to ‘beg, borrow or steal laptops’ to attend an online test went viral on Friday.
Students had written to the management that almost 85% of them don't have functional laptops or the budget to buy new ones.
After the video went viral, the college issued a circular to students stating that it was miscommunicated to them that the purchase of laptops was mandatory. “Students are doing this to evade online assessments. They will now be allowed to take the online test using their mobile phones,” said M.J. Balachandar, chairman of MVJ College of Engineering.