BHUBANESWAR: Lack of clarity on conduct of examinations for intermediate semesters continues to concern thousands of engineering and other professional degree students of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) and its affiliated colleges.
The final semester test of professional degree students was supposed to be held in March and exams of other intermediate semesters - second, fourth and sixth - in subsequent months. However, the coronavirus outbreak delayed the final semester exam of engineering and professional degree students by five months.
The university has been able to hold online tests for only final year BArch and BPlan students, while examinations of final year engineering, MBA, MCA and BPharm are yet to be conducted.
The delay in conducting final semester test pushed examination planning of intermediate semesters raising concern for nearly two lakh students, including around 90,000 technical students studying in BPUT’s 140 constituent colleges and institutes. Students of these semesters are worried as to how their assessment will be done.
Secretary of Odisha Private Engineering College Association (OPECA) Binod Dash said the matter continues to remain a concern though a decision has been taken to conduct the intermediate semester exams after completion of the final semester test.
In July, the UGC decided that the universities may conduct examinations for intermediate semester students after making a comprehensive assessment of their level of preparedness, otherwise grading will be done based on the internal evaluation and previous year’s or semester’s performance.
BPUT Vice-Chancellor Chitta Ranjan Tripathy said, “Communication from the Skill Development and Technical Education department regarding exams or assessment is being awaited in this regard.”