Postponing exams will give us little time to complete portion: Colleges

The University of Mumbai (MU) has rescheduled the first-year common exams to November to prevent it from clashing with the Diwali vacations. However, colleges said the move will give them fewer days to prepare for the next semester.

The University of Mumbai (MU) has rescheduled the first-year common exams to November to prevent it from clashing with the Diwali vacations. However, colleges said the move will give them fewer days to prepare for the next semester.

While students have complained about being forced to study during Diwali vacations, teachers are unhappy with being forced to work on these days. (HT File Photo)

“Our college started in the third week of July and in two months, the university was expecting us to complete the portion. Instead of solving our problem, MU has worsened it by pushing the first-year exams to November,” said a BMM coordinator of an institute in Andheri.

She said that some courses have exams going on till the end of November, which means that regular lectures for the next semester cannot begin until the first week of December. “We are being forced to change our lecture notes and finish the syllabus in whatever time we have in hand. This is unfair to students and teachers,” she said.

While students have complained about being forced to study during Diwali vacations, teachers are unhappy with being forced to work on these days. Colleges affiliated to MU are currently on an 11-day break for Ganeshotsav and in the first week of October, several semester five exams will begin and continue till the end of the month.

By November 5, first-semester common exams will begin. “My teachers will end up supervising and checking answer sheets all through October and November without a Diwali break. And then, we will be forced to finish the next semester portion in a haste,” said the principal of a south Mumbai college.

According to MU, the diwali vacations were originally scheduled from October 26 to November 14, but the exams have been scheduled on all days except October 28 to November 4. “Many students and teachers are not from Mumbai and head home during the Diwali break. After numerous changes to the exam schedule, I will end up studying during the holidays because my exams will begin in the first week of November,” said a third-year BCom in Accounting and Finance (BAF) student.