E-Paper
Students in quandary as Jamia insists they must have own laptop/PC, internet to take semester exams
The new notification has distressed students, who said the proctored mode of examination would be “discriminatory” to marginalised students and those with limited digital access.
Days after announcing that the university would hold the upcoming semester examination in the online proctored mode, Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday released guidelines for the tests stating that students would need to arrange for computers or laptops, internet, and uninterrupted power supply on their own for the duration of the exam. The new notification has distressed students, who said the proctored mode of examination would be “discriminatory” to marginalised students and those with limited digital access.
Jamia controller of examination later told HT that the students’ grievances have been communicated to the University Grants Commission (UGC) and permission sought to make the exams assignments-based.
A proctored exam is one that is supervised by an approved, neutral person (a proctor) who ensures the identity of the test taker and the integrity of the test taking environment. In this case, the proctor will use the student’s webcam and microphone to monitor the him/her.
In the set of guidelines issued for the odd semester examinations beginning December 21, the office of the controller of examinations said, “Only personal computers (PC)/laptop shall be permitted to appear for examinations, not smart phones. However, smart phone with camera may be used to click a picture of the answer sheet and upload the same on the portal.”
The guidelines further stated that students needed to have the latest version of “Firefox Browser, a Windows laptop/PC with a stable internet connection and web camera”.
“Students are advised to make sure that they make their own arrangements for uninterrupted power and good internet connectivity for the duration of the test. Students would themselves be responsible for any lapses on this front, so they are advised to make sure that adequate backup is in place. Also, if required, data top-up etc should be done to ensure that there is no disruption during the examination,” the guidelines further said.
Students have also been asked to take the test from a separate room with no other person present there for the duration of the examination. In a letter to the vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar on Thursday, students pointed out that “most students are living with their families currently and everyone doesn’t have the privilege of privacy”.
Qasim Usmani, a final-year undergraduate student of sociology from Deoband, said, “Students cannot even visit cyber cafes as the guidelines state that students must be alone in the room while appearing for the exam. Most of the students studying in Jamia are from marginalised backgrounds and do not own devices like computers or laptops. Not everyone can afford data packages or Wi-Fi to appear for tests with their webcams on for three hours, for a minimum of five papers.”
In an online meeting attended by around 500 students on Tuesday, students voted for assignment-based examinations instead of the proctored exams and submitted the representation to the university administration on Thursday.
Sana Iqbal Mir, a second-year undergraduate student who hails from Sopore in Kashmir, said, “We have 2G services here and even that is blocked often due to multiple reasons. There is no Wi-Fi connectivity in our town. We had to travel 20km to submit our assignments last semester. If there is heavy snowfall, we don’t have electricity for days and our movement will be restricted. I don’t own a laptop and cannot buy one due to financial constraints. In such a scenario, how are we expected to appear for the exam with uninterrupted power?”
Despite repeated attempts, vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar did not comment on the matter.
The university said since students’ webcam and microphone will be used to carry out remote invigilation, any obstruction of the above two during the test “will be deemed to be grounds for cancellation of the examination for that student”.
Nearly 10,000 students will be appearing for the upcoming exams. “The University Grants Commission (UGC) had directed that exams cannot be conducted in the assignment mode as was done in the previous semester. That is why we resorted to the proctored mode. We have forwarded the student representation to the UGC and if they allow it, tests will be conducted in the assignment mode,” said controller of examinations Nazim Hussain Jafri.
When questioned on how students without laptops, PCs, or a stable internet would appear for tests, Jafri said, “In today’s times, most students have internet access and devices. Those who do not can hire such services.”
On the stipulation that no one else should be present in the room, he said, “The guidelines only serve as a warning against unfair means. If a student appears for a test where there are multiple people in the room, that alone won’t be grounds for cancellation of a paper, unless the student resorts to fraudulent measures.”
