State universities are gearing up to conduct end-semester examinations for final year students. On Tuesday, Anna University issued a notification announcing the tentative date for end-semester examinations. The university proposes to hold the exams online from September 22 to 29. The timetable would be announced soon.
Students will undertake an hour-long multiple choice question type test using either their laptop, mobile phone or tablet with the camera on, from their homes. A week before the exams, the university will hold a mock test, prior to which the university will publish the instructions for the candidates on its website.
Authorities of affiliated colleges are, however, awaiting detailed instructions from the university. The principal of an affiliated college said they had learned that the online exam would be similar to the recruitment tests offered by companies. “Students will receive a user ID and password to log in at a specified time. They must complete the test as the portal will close at the end of the hour. The students will be monitored,” he said.
Those unable to access the internet may come to the institution for the test. “The university has been conducting State-level placements and is familiar with the online process. Since final year students would have to write anywhere between two and four papers, even if we have to provide the tests on alternate days we can complete them,” the official said.
Colleges do not see problems as students attend online classes and manage to do assignments as well. Colleges are preparing to upload the attendance and first assessment results by September 11 on the university’s portal.
Three days ago the University of Madras held a meeting with affiliated colleges. Most of them were concerned about net connectivity, said a college principal. “There are only 30 aided colleges within the city. The rest are in the outskirts, many in remote areas where internet connectivity is poor,” said principal of another college.
S. Kamalakannan, Principal of Annai Theresa College of Arts and Science, said: “Our college is in the interior parts of Tirukazhukundram in a village called Mangalam. Though student attendance is 90%, they are unable to remain connected steadily during the classes. We have 310 final year students in 13 departments, each of whom will have to write four or five papers.”
The college has proposed to hold science exams in the morning and arts stream exams in the evening. It plans to provide masks to all students and teachers. Gloves would be mandatory, he said. “We have 40 classrooms and hence physical distancing will not be an issue,” he added.
Principal of Malolan College in Madurantakam V. Subathra said her students would not be able to take online exams.
“Most of the students are children of farmers or agricultural labourers who do not even own a smart phone of their own,” she said. The college had computer and internet connectivity. But most of the 1,300 students are now working full-time. On normal days they worked part-time. Though the students have been provided laptops by the government they did not have the money to pay for data plans, she said.
Madurai Kamaraj University Vice-Chancellor M. Krishnan said that the university was yet finalise the examination schedule. Instructions had been given to affiliated colleges to follow the State government’s Standard Operating Procedure.
The university was in the process of forming committees with members from different colleges to monitor nearby colleges.
“They will inspect and monitor the implementation of personal distancing and other COVID-19 related precautions and also the conduct of examinations,” he said.
The university has requested local bodies to assist government-run colleges in disinfecting the campuses before the examinations.
Another senior official from the university said that they were awaiting directions from the Madras High Court, where a case is pending regarding the examinations, to finalise the schedule. “We are not sure whether arrear examinations should be accommodated and whether exams will have to be done online,” he said. A top official from Bharathidasan University said that work was under way and methodology and timetable for examinations were yet to be finalised.
(With inputs from Pon Vasanth B.A)
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