The education department has left it to the universities to decide the mode of end-semester examinations at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
A notice, addressed to the vice-chancellors of the state universities, issued on Friday says: “Several queries have been received from different corners across the state regarding the mode of conduct of forthcoming university’s semester examinations. Considering the present situation, the competent authorities or bodies of the universities may take suitable decisions regarding mode of conduct of university examinations....”
Sonali Chakravorty Banerjee, the vice-chancellor of Calcutta University, said after they received the notice, they would hold a meeting of the undergraduate council on May 20 to take a decision on the mode of examinations.
“The postgraduate faculty councils will also meet to decide on the mode at the masters’ level. Let the respective bodies decide,” she told The Telegraph.
The end-semester examinations of Calcutta University are scheduled to start from the end of May.
An official of the department said Friday’s notice must be read in conjunction with the April 27 notice in which the vice-chancellors were told that they might consider taking suitable decisions by either switching to online classes or by advancing summer vacation/summer recess or making suitable arrangements to combat prevailing weather conditions with effect from May 2 till the normal weather condition resumes.
After CU left it to the affiliating college to decide on the mode of classes according to their convenience, some colleges switched to online classes from May 2.
An official of the department said amid this varied pattern that was being followed from May 2, the principals wanted to know about the mode of the examinations.
“The department in December had advised the state universities to hold the examination of the odd semester (I, III and V) online.... Therefore, we thought of approaching the department seeking to know the mode in the even semester,” said a principal.
Sankahayan Chowdhury, the general secretary of the CU Teachers’ Association, said they would want the university to hold the postgraduate examination offline exams as they ensured transparent assessment.
“Besides, since the heat wave-like condition has subsided, there is no point in holding online examinations,” he said.
Sabyasachi Basu Raychaudhuri, the vice-chancellor of Rabindra Bharati University, said: “We are sticking to our decision of holding the end-semester examination offline both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level from May 18.”
Burdwan University has announced that the end-semester examination at the undergraduate level will be held offline in June. The postgraduate exams, dates of which have not been finalised, will also be held offline.
