Anna University may conduct exams online; Public will get a vote

CHENNAI: As the State sees no respite from the rising Covid-19 cases, Anna University is looking at the possibility of conducting its 2019-20 even semester exam online. “The final decision will be taken after receiving public opinion,” said MK Surappa, the Vice Chancellor of the varsity speaking to Express.

In a rather odd tangent to #BlackLivesMatter trending on social media after the death of George Floyd, college students -particularly those in private engineering colleges started #StudentLivesMatter. The hashtag was set viral to appeal to the government to not risk students’ lives by conducting exams.

“Students are not testing kits. Open parliaments first then colleges. #StudentLivesMatter #CancelAUExamsTN,” a student tweeted on Sunday evening.

The trend also caught on across the country with students demanding various State government to cancel their semester exams.

Many students migrate to study higher education and conducting physical examinations when transport is unavailable will exclude thousands of students. “The exam will put thousands of students and teachers at risk. It is better to cancel this semester’s exam,” said KM Karthik the leader of the All India Private College Employees Union (AIPCEU).

In response to this Anna University is mulling over the idea of conducting the exams online. “As a technical institution, it is time we moved our exams online. However the exams only be conducted after at least a minimum level of normalcy and safety is reached. Students must be able to move around enough to access computers with internet,” said the varisty’s VC MK Surappa.