Students of Mumbai’s Institute of Chemical Technology confused over e-exams

On June 5, institute registrar RR Deshmukh issued a notice to students announcing that the exams for final-year undergraduate students and final-year Masters in Science (MSc) students will be held between the last week of June and July 15.

A notice issued by the Institute of Chemical Technology in Matunga, Mumbai, over its plans to conduct online exam left students confused.

In the first week of May, state higher and technical education minister Uday Samant scrapped all exams, except those for final-year students. (Kunal Patil/HT file photo. Representative image)

On June 5, institute registrar RR Deshmukh issued a notice to students announcing that the exams for final-year undergraduate students and final-year Masters in Science (MSc) students will be held between the last week of June and July 15. The notice further said that the first to third-year undergraduate students as well as first-year MSc students will have to take their exams from July 15 to 31. It also stated that the schedule of the exams will be declared a week before the exam dates and that the examination will be conducted in electronic format (e-exam) for all the students.

A second round of paper-based or e-exam will be held in August for students who could not take the tests in July. The mode of the second round of examination will be determined based on the Covid-19 situation, the notice said. However, it did not give any further clarity on how the e-exam will be conducted.

“The guidelines for E-examination will be prepared by a committee,” read the notice by Deshmukh.

Students, particularly from the rural areas, are not sure if they can take the e-exam, as they do not have the facilities for it.

“Some of us live in villages and don’t have a computer or broadband connection,” said a second-year student, on the condition of anonymity.

“We have a defined pattern for electronic examination. Students can take the test from their homes and will not need any internet connection. We have informed the students of the process,” said VK Rathod, controller of examination of ICT.

Following the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus on March 23, students were asked to vacate the hostels and go home. “Many of us left in a hurry and have left our college notes in the hostel. How do we prepare for the exams? This new notice on exams is stressful,” said another student.

In the first week of May, state higher and technical education minister Uday Samant scrapped all exams, except those for final-year students. Thereafter, on May 30, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that final-year exams will be cancelled and students will be promoted based on their past performances. However, the state’s rules are not applicable to ICT, which is a deemed university.

Meanwhile, the institute plans to begin classes for the new academic year from August 1. Extensive online classes will be held if the lockdown continues and laboratory classes will be deferred until physical classes can resume, said Deshmukh.