IIT-Bombay student magazine demands no-fail policy

The demand for a no-fail policy is gaining ground among students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), with the institute’s student magazine — Insight — making a case for it

The demand for a no-fail policy is gaining ground among students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), with the institute’s student magazine — Insight — making a case for it. In an editorial published Wednesday, Insight made an “absolute demand” for a no-fail policy in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and virtual classes.

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“It could make sense to fail students who have performed below a certain (usually very low) threshold set by the professor, if: all students are equally able to attend classes, all students are able to focus on their academics, all students are able to give their best in their examinations. If any of the conditions above do not hold, failing students does not make any sense. It has serious negative consequences for a student,” read the editorial. Members of Insight declined to comment.

Institute director Subhasis Chaudhuri said, “I was not aware of such a demand. Our end-semester exams are all over now. Only project evaluations are possibly still remaining. We have given (students) the option for S grade for the projects. That carries a lot of weight.” He did not comment on if the institute was planning to introduce a no-fail policy.

However, students interviewed by HT said virtual learning was not enough and the pressure of the pandemic keeps students from performing their best at exams. “There is a genuine frustration among students about the evaluation policies of the institute. Our learning environments are different from what it used to be on campus,” said a BTech student on the condition of anonymity.

“Learning virtually is a pain, because you miss out significantly on peer learning. The online class environment is not great, difficult for dialogue during most lectures, so it’s a fairly disconnected learning,” said a final-year BTech student.

He added, “During exams, it’s very difficult to maintain a conducive environment at home, especially with the strict proctoring. Some professors insist on rigorous continuous evaluation, magnifying academic stress.” The stress of family members, close friends and acquaintances suffering from Covid-19 also affect students’ ability to perform in exams, they said.

“Most professors have conducted continuous and rigorous evaluation throughout the semester which has actually been far more demanding than a regular semester. Students have, at different points of the semester, been forced to make a direct choice between their academic performance and their mental and physical wellbeing. This is inhumane enough, but to fail them on top of all this is downright apathy,” read the op-ed by Insight.

As the pandemic broke out in March last year, the institute allowed students to drop a course and also opt for an S grade. The S grade is a place-holder and depicts notionally a pass in a course and the test can be taken again to improve the grade. In its op-ed, Insight also made a case for S grade to be applied to the upcoming semester. The institute’s senate is yet to decide whether the option will be available to students in the upcoming semester.