DUTA Press Release: 29 June 2020 #DUAgainstOnlineExamination

Students and teachers have been vociferously protesting against the Delhi University’s authoritarian implementation of the online OBE for the final year students of the University, in total violation of statutory processes and provisions.

Apart from being discriminatory in nature and compromising the sanctity of the examination process, apprehensions regarding the imminent failure of such an experiment on hapless students have been well documented. This online OBE project of DU has been marred with failure right from the beginning. First, the attempt to schedule mock test for students was a non-starter. Then, on 27 June, the University decided to postpone the OBE by 10 days citing the “prevailing situation of COVID-19 pandemic”. It was almost as it the University believed that the situation was to dramatically improve in 10 days. The postponement itself has created a wave of panic amongst students, many of whom had made travel plans, or are in quarantine or stranded in containment zones in different parts of the country, or dealing with illnesses to self and family members.

Now, the latest fiasco has come to light with the announcement of the amended schedule of mock tests which has glaring mistakes. It shows 7th and 8th June as dates of two exams. Are students supposed to get hold of a time-machine to give backdated exams? The paper numbers on the date sheet (from I to XV) have no correlation with the paper titles or paper numbers taught to students of the 6th semester.

These mistakes highlight the lack of preparedness, seriousness and competence in carrying out a project like the Online OBE. It has increased manifold the tensions and anxieties for students, already grappling with the pandemic crisis. It shows the University’s absolute lack of empathy for its students who are being subjected to mindless experiments.

The DUTA calls upon the MHRD and the UGC to take a quick decision on the cancellation of examinations for all final year/ semester students and to instruct Delhi University to not play such cruel jokes on its students. Any further delay would put students through more mental agony and trauma.

The DUTA strongly condemns the incompetent University administration. It also demands that the University stops playing with the future and career of lakhs of students and cancel the OBE in the interest of the physical and mental wellbeing of students.