New Delhi: The Congress, as part of its #SpeakUpForStudents initiative, is demanding a cancellation of all university exams across the country.
The campaign, officially launched Friday, comes days after the Human Resource and Development (HRD) ministry directed all universities to hold the final year examinations by September-end.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in a video statement, appealed to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to learn from the IITs and cancel all exams, and promote students based on “their past performance”.
It is extremely unfair to conduct exams during the Covid19 pandemic.
UGC must hear the voice of the students and academics. Exams should be cancelled and students promoted on basis of past performance.#SpeakUpForStudents pic.twitter.com/1TYY3q58i0
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 10, 2020
The hashtag #SpeakUpForStudents garnered over 8 lakh tweets by the end of Friday, the Congress party said.
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‘Exams will harm students’
Ruchi Gupta, joint-secretary in-charge of the NSUI, the student wing of the Congress, said that both online as well offline modes of exams will be harmful to students.
“For one, students haven’t been able to study for the past few months as online classes are discriminatory and inadequate by their very nature. Many students wouldn’t be able to participate in online exams too,” Gupta told ThePrint.
And, the offline mode may prove to be “risky”, Gupta added.
“Like we saw in Karnataka, Covid-positive students ended up sitting for the exams and now everyone is trying to trace contact. This is completely avoidable,” she said.
Does UGC want to spread Corona virus by gathering students in the name of exam?
Be a part of SPEAK UP FOR STUDENTS movement
Share your opinions on social media and make your voice heard by the government. Right now.#SpeakUpForStudents pic.twitter.com/omMCoUqwNW
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) July 10, 2020
Last week, in Karnataka, 32 students who sat for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exams tested positive. The state government has since been trying to contact-trace other potential patients.
The NSUI also said it had conducted meetings with more than 100 universities and submitted memorandums to around 150 vice-chancellors across the country.
Former UGC chairperson Sukhadeo Thorat had expressed similar sentiments about the commission’s decisions in a letter to the present UGC chairman Dhirendra Pal Singh, calling it “unfortunate” and warned it would be “biased”.
“Using alternative methods of evaluation based on each student’s own past performance (in exams conducted in normal times) offers a fair solution and brings closure, with the option of retaking the exam when normalcy is restored,” he said in the letter.
Also read: StudentsLivesMatter trends as students outrage at UGC decision to hold final exams amid Covid
Cancel fees for 6 months
Besides the cancellation of exams, the NSUI has also demanded that no fees be levied on students for the next six months.
“#NoFeesForSixMonths in light of the economic distress suffered by the 45% of the families during the lockdown/pandemic,” the NSUI listed as its demands in its official statement.
On Saturday, the Delhi government announced its decision to cancel final year examinations in the colleges that come under its jurisdiction. However, its decision does not concern or have a bearing on Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University and other central universities in the national capital.
Also read: Delhi govt cancels final exams, upcoming semester of universities under it due to Covid