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Allahabad University cancels even semester exams
Allahabad University (AU) has decided to cancel the exams of even semesters that were to be held in offline mode from November 23
Allahabad University (AU) has decided to cancel the exams of even semesters that were to be held in offline mode from November 23. This decision was taken in a meeting of examination committee held on Thursday.
“The offline exams of the even semesters (2, 4, 6, 8) stand cancelled and the students will now be promoted to the next semester on the basis of their internal assessment marks,” said university’s public relations officer (PRO) Jaya Kapoor while confirming the development.
In the online meeting chaired by vice chancellor prof Sangita Srivastava and attended by Allahabad University controller of examinations prof Ramendra Kumar Singh among others, it was also resolved that the students will be promoted to the higher semester and their classes will start after Diwali vacations in hybrid (online/offline) mode.
“The classes will, however, continue in offline mode from December 17 keeping the then prevailing Covid conditions in view,” said the university’s PRO citing the decisions taken in the meeting. “As decided in the virtual meeting, the annual exams will be held after second week of March 2022 in offline mode strictly following the Covid guidelines,” she added.
Controller of examinations (CoE) prof Ramendra Kumar Singh wrote a letter to all deans and heads of departments besides principals of constituent colleges on Wednesday informing that the semester examinations will be conducted in offline mode.
In protest against this decision, the students started a demonstration on the varsity campus on Thursday morning. The students gathered at the students’ union building and even disrupted post graduate classes being conducted in offline mode there.
They were demanding that when the classes had been held in online mode, the exams too should be held in virtual mode only. They also reached the CoE office and raised slogans against the decision following which an emergency meeting of the examination committee was convened.
Earlier in the first week of April this year, AU had postponed all exams, being held at Allahabad University and its constituent colleges, including those being held in online mode. AU and its constituent colleges were completely closed till April 21. Later, even the summer vacations of AU were started early in a way that the days lost in offline teaching could be compensated.
However, as the situation of Covid-19 pandemic was not completely under control, though the campus of AU was opened in phased manner for administrative officials and later for teaching faculty members, but the teaching at AU was kept restricted to online mode. This continued till last month even though many of the departments conducted seminars, meetings and courses in offline mode.
A section of student leaders on the campus had continued with their agitation for starting teaching in offline mode. In the meantime, research scholars were asked to come to their respective departments and continue with their research work. Later, even hostels were opened for them.
But after resorting to online mode of teaching till September, varsity authorities decided to open the departments for offline teaching starting from October 1. However, barring few departments, most of the departments has witnessed thin attendance of students.
