Uproar as SOL students are forced to take exams in basement parking

The protesters, including members of the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), alleged “gross discrimination” against SOL students after videos emerged, showing them taking exams in a poorly maintained basement of an examination centre

Students from Delhi University’s School of Open Learning (SOL) held a protest on Tuesday at the SOL North Campus, alleging that they were being made to write their exams in the basement parking area of a university building.

Students take the exam in the basement. (HT PHOTO)

The protesters, including members of the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), alleged “gross discrimination” against SOL students after videos emerged, showing them taking exams in a poorly maintained basement of an examination centre.

Sarthak Bansal, a third-year BCom (Hons) student, shared a post on X on May 14, saying, “Today’s 6th-sem DU SOL exams were held in a basement parking with broken desks, dust, no proper seating, and no fan in the intense heat. This is unacceptable. Students pay ₹8,000/year—basic exam facilities should be ensured…”

Another student, who requested anonymity, said construction materials were lying around in the basement where several students were seated for their exams. “There was some form of construction going on in the Satyakam Bhawan. This is also not the first time that exams are being held in such a place. Last year, students were made to take exams in tents during peak winter,” the student said.

Denying the allegations, Payal Mago, director, Campus of Open Learning, said, “SOL does not decide the exam centres. They are decided by the department of examinations. There are students giving exams in SOL North Campus and SOL Tahirpur campus as well. These students are being given all the facilities, including air conditioning, lifts, and drinking water.”

Meanwhile, in a statement, KYS said, “Endangering students by making them sit at a construction site amounts to showing criminal disregard for their lives… Even earlier, in 2024, the students of SOL BCom first semester were forced to write their exams in makeshift tents at Motilal Nehru College and Aurobindo College during peak winter.”

The organisation also demanded that an FIR be filed against DU and SOL officials responsible for “putting the lives of SOL students in danger”, under the relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.