Despite protests by students, the administration of Hyderabad’s English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) on Monday reiterated that the semester exams will be held online from May 5. The students had demanded that examinations be postponed owing to the lockdown in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The students and their representative body, the EFLU Students' Union, have been strongly objecting to the online examinations, claiming that many of them are stranded at places without proper internet service. Terming the administration's decision as ‘arbitrary,’ and one which was allegedly taken without consulting the Students' Union, the students have pointed out that not many of them are privileged to have an internet connection and proper privacy to give an exam from home.
The students have demanded that the semester should be extended and the examinations rescheduled for the last week of May.
Speaking to TNM, a representative from the Students’ Union said, “The decision is extremely insensitive and arbitrary. The academic council did not take our consensus before making such a decision. They have failed to acknowledge the problems of marginalized students. Due to the lockdown, many are in their hometown without proper internet access and other facilities. Some of them are stuck in Hyderabad in rented rooms. How can these students take the exam online without having proper resources?”
“To complete dissertations, we need books and access to JSTOR (a digital library of academic books and papers), and these facilities will not be available at our homes,” a distressed student told TNM.
On April 15, the students had appealed to the administration to provide alternative arrangements for the students living with physical disabilities and to those students without any resources. “An alternative arrangement should be made for the physically disabled students and those students who don’t have access to laptops, PCs and internet facilities,” the Students’ Union said in a media statement.
As per the academic calendar of the university, April 29 is the last working date of the semester, and despite the lockdown in place, the university has said that the administration is committed to following the calendar.
However, the students point out that the administration disrupted the academic calendar and extended the winter vacation for carrying out renovation works.
“When they could disrupt the academic calendar for renovation, can't they do the same for this global health crisis. Isn't this an extraordinary situation?” a student asked.
Earlier in December, the administration had shut down hostels for renovation works. Hostels were reopened on January 20 instead of January 1.
Notwithstanding with the appeals of the students, the circular undersigned by the University registrar on Friday read, “The University reiterates that the last day of instruction is 29 April, 2020 and the end-semester examinations will commence from 05 May, 2020.”
The administration further announced that the M.A. dissertation and Post-Graduate Diploma in the Teaching of English projects can be submitted on or before 20 May.
Extending the deadline for the submission of assignments, they said, “For the benefit of the students, the teachers have been asked to accept the submission of the assignments that are part of the internal assessments up to 04 May, 2020.”