Students from autonomous colleges, other univs demand offline MCQ exams

Nagpur: A day after Nagpur University announced offline multiple-choice questions (MCQ) exams, students from autonomous colleges and other universities too, are demanding the same pattern.
They have flooded the social media with their messages and memes demanding their colleges and universities to adopt the same exam pattern.
The ABVP activists staged protests in front of Gondwana University in Gadchiroli on Saturday, demanding for offline exams in MCQ pattern. They warned that if their demands were not met, they would lock the university’s gates.
While students neighbouring Amravati and Gondwana universities are more in numbers demanding the MCQ exams, many from Mumbai, Pune, SNDT and others requested for similar benefits. On other hand, a section of students, particularly staying outstation, have demanded that they should be provided with the facility to appear in the exams online, as the same MCQ pattern was followed.
A majority of students have flayed the NU’s decision of not handing over the question bank, as assured by the government. “We are totally confused on how the questions will be asked, as our syllabus is not completed. The question bank should have helped us in the last-minute preparation. Since colleges have declared the vacation, the teachers are also unavailable for resolving difficulties,” they said.
Students from city’s autonomous colleges and other universities apprehend that they would be at a big disadvantage in comparison to NU students, as the latter would score higher marks in their comparison. The final year exams of these colleges are on the verge of completion. The managements of all these colleges had already decided that they would be conducting offline exams to maintain the quality, as in online format, it had become extremely easy to clear the papers.
Another section of students demanded that since the syllabus was not completed fully, the question papers should be based on half of the syllabus.
Coming to the support of the examinees, NU Management Council member Vishnu Changde said they must be provided with the question bank, as assured by the minister Uday Samant. “Many students and parents are now complaining that they were preparing for the descriptive exams and even teachers taught them that pattern. Now with the MCQ declaration, they were confused,” he said.
NU timetable to be uploaded on website
Board of examination and evaluation (BOEE) director Prafulla Sable told TOI that they would be uploading the timetable of about 70 examinations on the university’s website by Saturday evening. The first phase of exams would commence from June 8 for the undergraduate students and from June 15 for postgraduates. “We will be posting the remaining timetables as early as possible. All our preparations for conducting the exams are done,” he said.
On students stressing on the online format, the director said the decision for offline exams was taken as per the consensus reached between VCs of all state universities during their April 25 meeting convened by the State Higher and Technical Education Department.