AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court on Thursday issued notice to Gujarat Technological University (GTU) over a petition filed by students seeking directions to the university to hold semester examinations online.
GTU has decided not to take semester exams online, but to go for in-person exams. GTU was the first university in the state to conduct exams online. It had conducted final-year examinations online earlier this year due to Covid-19. However, the university decided not to hold tests online for the semester exams. The university cited format restrictions in online examination, and that it can test students only through OMR, which is not adequate for engineering students.
The university’s decision led some students to approach the high court complaining that the university’s stubborn attitude would unnecessarily put students at risk of infection. They have contended that the students will be required to move to the places of examination and gather in exam halls. The hostels are closed due to Covid-19 situation and this would pose great difficulties for the students.
After a preliminary hearing, Justice Vaibhavi Nanavati issued notice to the university and sought its response by January 6.
It was only after GTU successfully conducted its final year examinations online in three rounds that other universities in the state decided to go for this method of examination. There were nearly 60,000 students who appeared for their final year examinations. Some 52,000 of them took the test online, whereas those left out went for pen-paper exam.
As GTU has decided to conduct offline exams, the Gujarat University has once again offered option for online exams to its students for the semester exams. Various faculty members have opposed GU’s bid to conduct exams online.
Sources said that GTU students argued that a survey conducted by college managements revealed that 80% of the students wanted the tests to be conducted online. They also contended that when there were 60,000 students in the final year examinations, GTU conducted exams online, but when the number is more than 1 lakh, the university’s insistence on offline exam is not justified.