No decision on college exams, students in a limbo

No decision on college exams, students in a limbo

While sources said that the government has held discussions on whether to promote students or not, Pradeep said that it would require amendments to rules and approval from the governor.

Published: 05th July 2020 06:38 AM 

By Express News Service

BENGALURU: College students are still unsure whether or not they will have to write their final exams this year, as the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, which was expected to take a decision on Saturday, has not yet taken a call.Although the State government is deciding on the pros and cons of holding the exams, it will decide based on guidance from the MHRD. However, until Saturday evening, there was no word from the Union ministry, Commissioner for Collegiate Education, Pradeep P told The New Sunday Express.

While sources said that the government has held discussions on whether to promote students or not, Pradeep said that it would require amendments to rules and approval from the governor. These steps have to be followd even if the MHRD allows promotion without holding exams. In accordance with MHRD directives, the State government had mandated that lecturers complete the syllabus by June 15 and declared holidays till the end of the month. But on June 30, the MHRD allowed work from home for teaching and non-teaching staff until July 31. The state government, however, limited the extension of holidays for teaching staff to July 15. 

“Even if we continued classes, would it be for the same batch or the next one? This would solely depend on the government’s discretion,” a lecturer told The New Sunday Express. Should the department decide to hold exams, students must have four weeks of classes prior to that, said Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University. Prof K R Venugopal. 

President of Karnataka Government Teachers Association H Prakash said it would do a large number of undergraduate students great injustice if online classes are not compensated by real classroom teaching. “Even in the IT capital Bengaluru, a large number of students (in his estimate, 40 per cent) lack the necessary infrastructure for online classes. Several come from economically weaker backgrounds,” he said.

The Association of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT) has drawn the government’s attention to yet another hurdle to a seamless academic experience for students -- differing exam calendars among universities. It has urged the government to focus on a common curriculum system.

Delhi HC declines to entertain plea against K’taka quota in NLSIU

Bengaluru: The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to entertain a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Karnataka government’s decision to provide 25 per cent reservation to students from Karnataka. A division bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad declined to entertain the petition on the ground that it did not fall under its jurisdiction, but that of Karnataka, and permitted the petitioners the liberty to approach the relevant courts. The petitioner then withdrew the petition.