BENGALURU: Final year engineering students across the state are appealing to the government to scrap regular examinations and consider other options such as promotion based on year-round assessment. Engineering students wrote to Minister for Higher Education and Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan on Wednesday, expressing their unhappiness with the decision of Visvesvaraya Technological University and other colleges to conduct regular on-campus exams, and hold classes before that. The state government had, on July 10, permitted public and private universities to hold exams for final year students by September-end, either online, offline, or a mix of both.
Students pointed out that they would have to travel long distances to their colleges, exposing them to the risk of contracting Covid-19, if regular exams are held. They also said that due to varying levels of lockdown in different parts of the state, transport might not be available for all students to travel to their colleges. Students would be crammed in hostels until exams are held and practising physical distance would not be possible. Some might not even have accommodation as PG and hostel owners might not allow them to enter the premises, the said.
Students said the universities should consider alternative ways to promote students, such as Continuous Internal Evaluation — based on year-round performance — and allow dissatisfied students to write exams at a later date if required. They pointed out that each semester’s academic performance is considered for the final grade, 4th, 6th and 8th semesters are equally important, and the last semester has fewer credits and 175 of 200 credits are already completed by semester 7.Students who have already secured jobs are expected to start work by mid-August and the current exam schedule would inconvenience them as they would have to take leave for a month while they are on probation.