Bangalore North University, VTU students want exams postponed as COVID-19 cases rise

A student of Bangalore North University has alleged that classmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 are being compelled to come and write the exams.
Students writing an exam in an examination hall
Students writing an exam in an examination hall

Students of several universities in India have asked the varsity’s authorities to postpone the upcoming theory examinations that are to be held on Monday, April 19. Students of Bangalore North University in Karnataka have also asked that the examinations to be held on Monday be postponed, citing the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the state, as well as the ongoing RTC strike. The students have said that since Bangalore University has postponed all under-graduate, post-graduate and engineering examinations, which were scheduled to begin on April 19, their exams should also be postponed. 

The students have said many of their peers have given their samples for COVID-19 test, and the results are expected to come only on Monday, which would mean they could get exposed to students already carrying the infection. 

Students of Bangalore North University are not the only ones seeking postponement or cancellations of examinations. The students of  Visvesvaraya Technological University have also called for the exams to be scheduled for later. Taking to Twitter with the hashtag #postponevtuexams, many students have asked that the examinations be postponed. 

A student of Bangalore North University said, “The examinations will be held from April 19 to April 24 and though the students have requested cancellation of the exams or an alternative mode of assessment they are not paying heed to our request. The only thing they are saying is that they have made all preparations.”

“Our theory exams have been postponed almost 10-11 times since January, and since then, we have not had classes. The university is saying we can either opt for offline exams or write supplementary exams next year. The option for supplementary exams is really unfair as most of us want to join courses, or get a job immediately after this course ends,” a student of Montfort college of Psychology, which falls under Bangalore University, said. 

“Some of our classmates have tested positive but they are insisting that they must also come to write the exams and that they will be kept in a different room. A few of us have given samples for tests and we are getting our results tomorrow. This means we will come in primary contact with 40 people who could be COVID-19 positive. We want these exams to be postponed or some alternative mode of assessment,” the student added. 

The All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) has issued a statement saying that it is "highly deplorable" that VTU is conducting the exam. "They are adamant on the conduction of examination. Reason for such urgency in conduction of exams the university alone knows! AIDSO condemns this attitude of VTU in the harshest words and demands to immediately postpone the examination. We also demand Bangalore North University not to hold examinations amidst this crisis," a statement issued by AIDSO state President Ashwini KS and AIDSO state secretary Ajay Kamath stated.

A few days ago, the Bangalore Student Community, a collective of students, had written a letter to Karnataka Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar, asking that the students in the city be vaccinated against COVID-19 on a priority basis. The collective had also written to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, asking for a cancellation of examination amid the surge in COVID-19 cases. 

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnarayan had two weeks ago said that all university-level examinations, including graduation, post-graduation, engineering, diploma and other courses, will be conducted as per schedule.

Examinations across the country are being postponed owing to the spurt in COVID-19 cases. CBSE Class 10 Board exams have been cancelled, Class 12 Board exams have been postponed. ICSE Class 10 Board and Class 12 board have also been postponed. NEET, JEE(Main) April Session 2021 have also been postponed owing to the rising cases amid the COVID-19 second wave. 

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com