Over 100 students graduate from NIT Goa amid pandemic

PANAJI: The current pandemic has meant that classrooms and campuses have remained out of bounds for students, and for most final year students their dream of graduating has been deferred. But the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Goa, has been an exception.
During the lockdown, 72 BTech and 36 MTech students have not only answered the final year exams at NIT Goa, but have also received provisional certificates online. This batch of 2019-20 students are now eligible to begin their career or pursue higher education.
NIT Goa director Gopal Mugeraya said the institute ensured that the graduation process was not hindered by the current circumstances. To make this possible, NIT Goa, with approval of its senate, devised a one-time crisis management solution to evaluate students, which will be applicable only to this 2019-20 batch. As per the formula, the students were evaluated giving 20% weightage to the semester end examination, which was held online.
“Around 95% of our students have already found placement or have been selected for higher education opportunities, the offers that continue to stand. We did not want their progress to be put on hold due to the current circumstances. At the same time, we did not want to cancel the semester end exam or dilute the standard of education,” Mugeraya said.
The students were evaluated giving 30% weightage to internal assessments of the students, 40% weightage to the mid-semester performance, 10% weightage to their cumulative grade point average and 20% for the semester end evaluation conducted online.
“During the lockdown, we continued our teaching-learning process online. The classes and the practical sessions were held regularly online. The exams also took place despite the geographical barrier and the travel ban. The evaluation criterion was implemented after the approval of the senate and higher bodies,” Mugeraya said.
He said that the institute will similarly conduct examinations for lower semesters on virtual platforms.
“We wanted to prove that education can continue if proper measures and efforts are taken. If all goes well, we plan to begin the new academic year from August 2020, as per the central government guidelines,” the director said.