DUTA Press Release, 16.5.2020

DU circulars/letters of 13.5.2020 and 14.5.2020 regarding online Examinations has perturbed students and teachers equally.

Our recent experiences of online teaching have only confirmed our understanding that these are not solutions for inclusive education. Teachers have engaged with students through e-resources through the lockdown period but because of lack of resources and institutional help and suddenness and newness of the form of teaching, the experiences show that very few students are actually able to attend classes.  Our experiences (of both students and teachers) and surveys conducted by several students’ groups and by some universities have shown that the penetration of such a mode of education is extremely limited, it is discriminatory and exclusive in nature. For a large University like ours, which caters to diverse student population, the online education and examinations only stands to exclude many more. The DUTA had submitted a detailed response to the Vice Chancellor on the matter on 14.5.2020 and similarly, students have also sent in their representations.

In order to understand concerns of students more closely, the DUTA today held a joint meeting with leaders of students’ and teachers’ organisations on Zoom. Representatives from ABVP, AIDSO AISA, DSU, KYS, NSUI and SFI attended the meeting. Students’ organisations shared the surveys they have conducted and proposals they have submitted to the University.

Following common points have emerged:
1) Open Book Exam through remote process as announced by the University is not acceptable to students and teachers.

2) The choice of pen-paper examination should be made available to all students.

3) University needs to adopt a multi- pronged approach wherein, needs of the diverse group can be taken care including those terminal semester UG and PG students who may not be able to postpone completion of their course work and require degrees/provisional certificates for next level admission/recruitment or cannot come back to Delhi for taking exams.

The joint meeting decided to bring following joint student-teacher action programmes:

(1) placard and Twitter Storm protest on Wednesday, 20.5.2020.
(2) Referendum/survey amongst students on the OBE as announced by the University.
(3) Joint Press Conference to share results of the referendum/survey.

DUTA will appeal to DUSU to join these programmes.

The DUTA appeals to students and teachers to join these joint action programmes with full force by taking the issue to the social media and by representing to Dean Examinations, DU VC, UGC and MHRD.

Rajib Ray President, DUTA Rajinder Singh Secretary, DUTA