Several students across the country have been putting forth their demand for the conduct of examinations in online mode ever since the coronavirus pandemic struck the country. They say that offline or physical examinations could pose a risk to their health. Many students of Lucknow's Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University took to social media to protest the forthcoming offline examinations and urged the university to hold exams online.
However, the university has decided to go ahead with offline examinations. In a conversation with India TV Digital, AKTU vice-chancellor Prof Vinay Kumar Pathak said that it was "not feasible" to conduct the exams online as 90 per cent of the varsity students resided in villages.
"90 per cent of our students reside in villages, how will they access internet? It is not feasible. Plus, online proctoring for 2.5 lakh students is impossible," he said.
READ MORE: AKTU students demand online exams, write to UP govt
Prof Pathak further cited the downward trend in India's COVID-19 trajectory.
"Even if we conduct online exams, how will practical exams be held? Students need to be physically present for practicals. Moreover, cases of the coronavirus have dwindled, so the threat perception is also less," the vice-chancellor said.
Recently, the India Wide Parents' Association wrote to the Uttar Pradesh government raising students' concerns. In a poll conducted by the organization, more than 95.6 percent of students said they want to take online exams.
Earlier, CBSE Class 9 and 11 students had also expressed similar apprehensions. Some students said that the closure of schools and almost no-classroom teaching has made their situation worse. Others said that the teachers have not been able to cover the entire syllabus yet. But, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) ruled out online exams and said it would go ahead and conduct them offline.
READ MORE: Will Class 9, 11 exams be held online? Here's what CBSE has to say
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