BENGALURU: Christ deemed-to-be-university is planning to conduct online examinations for the intermediate semester students which will begin on July 13. Students speaking to TNSE said that the university had collected Rs 500 fee for the online examination, in addition to the exam fee that was paid earlier. Although there is no written communication to say it is mandatory to pay the fees and take the exam, students said that there was pressure to enrol for the online exam and there was no clarity on whether they would get a refund.
Vinisha (name changed), a student, said that the online classes for the next academic year have already begun in May (which in ordinary times would begin only in June). Online classes have been rigorous with five-hour sessions and assignments that make daily schedules hectic, and amid this, the university plans the examination, she said.
Students said that the State Government directive to universities in Karnataka about cancelling the exams for non-final year students, did not apply to Christ, by virtue of its title ‘deemed to be university’ .
A top university official told TNSE that they decided to hold the examination after a month-long deliberation with the academic staff. “Going ahead without examinations would be a lie in terms of evaluating learning outcomes which the programme assures. Even global players in Europe and the USA decided to hold the examinations,” the official stated.
About the fee of Rs 500, the official said that several students who were unable to pay were given a waiver. And the Rs 500 fees for registration on the online platform does not even cover a third of the cost of the platform, he said. UGC guidelines in April specify that institutes should evaluate students based on previous marks. The official said they have, however, decided to hold the online exam. “We will hold offline exams too in the days to come and those who did not opt for online can appear for those eventually,” the official said.