Students rejoice as Delhi Government cancels all state university exams

Final year is the time when students start applying for jobs or give exams for further studies, and were caught in the doldrums as there was no disclosure till now. We speak to some students from GGSIPU on how they think this decision will help them.

As news of Delhi Government cancelling all state university exams poured in, students across colleges rejoiced and breathed a sigh of relief. Amid the widespread transmission of coronavirus, students from various universities had been demanding that exams be cancelled. In a tweet, deputy chief minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia announced: “In light of the major disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Delhi govt has decided to cancel all Delhi state university exams including final exams.”

Amid the widespread transmission of coronavirus, students from various universities had been demanding that exams be cancelled. (Photo: HT Photo)

Final year is the time when students start applying for jobs or give exams for further studies, and were caught in the doldrums as there was no disclosure till now. We speak to some students from GGSIPU on how they think this decision will help them.

Joshua Porter, a final year student of BJ(MC) at VIPS (Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies), feels that this decision has helped quash the uncertainty. “We were stuck in the middle since May, when the exams usually take place. We can now plan to apply for jobs or further studies with ease. There is no pressure,” he says.

Aditya Kaushal, final year B.Tech student at MAIT (Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology) feels that the whole point of exams needs to be revised. “Companies and employers conduct their own interviews, so I don’t think that exams are a good metric to judge anyone’s capabilities. There is no point in conducting exams just for the sake of it,” he asserts.

Md Shahbaz Alam, final year B.Tech student at BVCOE (Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering) is of the opinion that either way, there would be some problems and some benefits. “Agar paper hota toh bhi kuch nuksaan hota, agar nahi hai tab bhi thoda nuksaan toh hoga. Offline exams would have posed the threat of contamination, whereas evaluation on past performance and internal exams robs students of a chance at scoring better. If a student scored less in internals due to any reason, then he/she has this chance of improving their overall percentage. But it is for the good that this decision was taken,” he says.

As for the option of sitting for online exams, students unanimously agree that those come with their own set of problems. “DU conducted mock tests which turned out to be a failure,” says Projukta Chatterjee, a final year student of BJ(MC) at VIPS, adding, “I welcome this decision, but I would request the authorities to grade us on the basis of our past performance. I studied the whole year as no one knew it would come to this. But then there are students who have backlogs and weren’t quite as meritorious. So there should be fair grading taking these aspects in consideration.”

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