|
 |
|
Students write their “Minors” in the corridors of Indraprastha University
|
New Delhi, Sept. 15: A decision by Delhi’s second-largest university to compress a seven-day examination into three days has sparked chaos, marked by shortage of question papers, inadequate seating arrangements, and confusion over which exam room to sit in.
Several of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University’s 3,000 students could not take their exams because they had not been allotted rooms. Most of the rest went through an ordeal, sitting in crammed rooms or even corridors after much confusion.
The institution, which has more students than JNU and Jamia Millia Islamia but is smaller than Delhi University, usually spreads its internal exams, called “Minors”, over seven days. Sources said that to save time, it decided to wrap up its Minor-1 this year between September 14 and 16.
So, instead of two exams a day, it scheduled four a day. The result: many students were handed the wrong question papers for the day’s first exam, scheduled at 9.30am, and had to wait an hour for the correct ones. This delayed all the following exams.
Not enough rooms were allotted for the exams and the seating instructions were unclear, a university insider said.
“The students did not know which classroom to go to for which examination. The scene was absolutely chaotic,” an invigilator said.
“Eventually, they had to sit very close to each other in the crammed rooms. It helped them copy from each other’s answer sheets.”
Poor distribution left some rooms with one question paper for every two or three students, forcing them to share the question papers.
The 13-year-old university offers about 40 courses under 12 schools. It has 167 teachers for its 3,000 students.
Vice-chancellor D.K. Bandyopadhyay declined comment. “Why are you disturbing me? What is your degree?” he asked this correspondent.
Sources said the vice-chancellor had met the deans and decided that from now on, each school would conduct its own Minors, a source said.
|
