Pune Campus Watch: Eye on absentees as SPPU’s first offline exams post-pandemic begin today

While demands were raised from several quarters, including student organisations and political outfits, to conduct the examinations online, the university has stuck to its decision to conduct the exams in the pen-paper mode after holding online exams for nearly two and a half years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Though the smooth conduct of examinations is of top priority, it is the possible absenteeism of students that the university is worried about. In fact, the exam department of the university recently made changes in its processes to monitor the same.

Mahesh Kakade, director, board of examinations and evaluations at SPPU said: “In the earlier system, the junior supervisor report would be sent manually, now it will be done online and on the same day which will enable us to tally reports. One of the things we have asked colleges to monitor is students who register for the exams but do not turn up. There can be several reasons for it; like many students were expecting online exams which are easier to crack but when actual offline exams are announced, many registered candidates may have backed out.”

“It usually is not the case with final-year students, since these are final semester exams so they are more serious about it. But we need to observe first and second-year students, especially the former. These students did not have board exams last year as well, so it is important to monitor them,” Kakade explained.

He said that barring wilful defaulters in exams, colleges have been asked to keep a check on students who miss exams for medical reasons, due to any difficulties at home or other genuine reasons for which they can be offered help.

In fact, absenteeism in offline exams post-pandemic has become one of the biggest concerns for education departments and universities. In Odisha and Tamil Nadu, where thousands of students skipped board exams for Class XII and X, the state governments have launched investigations to determine the reasons. In Maharashtra too, 15,000 students who registered for Class X exams did not appear for it, prompting an internal inquiry.

Sharad Gosavi, chairman of Maharashtra State Board of Education, too said that many students register hoping for internal assessments or online exams, but do not turn up after offline exams are announced.

Meanwhile, as examinations are underway for 38 subjects in engineering, architecture and pharmacy departments from Monday at colleges affiliated to SPPU, the university administration has written to the police department seeking protection at its 900 exam centres until August 28, when the examinations would end, in anticipation of trouble from student and political organisations.