Second phase of OBE: 1/4th students to appear for DU exams in person

According to the DU’s officiating dean (examination) DS Rawat, of around 12,780 registered students,10,780 are from the School of Open Learning and around 2,000 are those enrolled in regular colleges and Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board

Delhi University (DU) will start conducting the second phase of open book exams (OBE) in blended mode --both online and offline ---from Monday, with around 12,780 students expected to take the tests. While 9,467 students will take the exam in online mode, only 3,313 have chosen to appear for it in-person.

DU will conduct the second phase of its open-book exams for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students who could not appear in the first phase, that was held online between August 10 and August 31. (Representational Photo/PTI)

According to the DU’s officiating dean (examination) DS Rawat, of around 12,780 registered students,10,780 are from the School of Open Learning (SoL) and around 2,000 are those enrolled in regular colleges and Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board (NCWEB). “While regular students and those from NCWEB will visit their respective colleges and departments to take their exams, those enrolled in the school of learning (SoL) have been allotted centres located in different areas across the city,” he said.

HT had on September 11 reported that only a quarter of students appearing in the second phase of DU exams have opted to appear in-person for their exams. In some colleges, including Sri Ram College of Commerce and Aryabhatta College, no student had registered to appear in the second phase of the exams physically. The exam will be held between September 14 and October 1.

DU will conduct the second phase of its open-book exams for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students who could not appear in the first phase, that was held online between August 10 and August 31. This time, the students have been given the option to either write the exam online or visit the university’s examination centres to take the tests.

The university’s examination department had last week issued a detailed advisory to all the colleges and asked them to be ready with thermal scanners, sanitisers and masks before the exams commenced. At the colleges or examination centres, students will be asked to submit an undertaking declaring themselves free of any symptom of Covid-19. They have been asked to carry their own paper sheets to write the exams; gadgets such as mobile phones or laptops to download the question paper, sanitisers, masks, gloves, and a transparent water bottle.

Payal Mago, principal of Shaheed Rajguru College in Vasundhara Enclave, said that they have exams in two shifts at their college on Monday. “In the first shift we are expecting only seven students. But in the second shift, around 150 students will take the exam on Monday. We are ready with all the arrangements. We have also procured oximeters to have a quick check on students before they enter the exam centres,” she said.

Principal of all other colleges said that they will sanitise their campus premises before students will arrive on Monday. Rajiv Agarwal, principal of Deshbandhu College, said that they are expecting around 80 students on Monday. “We have an exam only in the second shift tomorrow. We procured face masks, gloves and sanitising lotions. We have kept boxes in each room for students to keep their answers scripts after completing the exams. We are making efforts to make it a contactless exam,” he said.