The second wave of covid-19 has hit the country very badly and so is the case with Delhi. Delhi has witnessed a toll over deaths and positive cases of Corona last year and this year too. The second wave of this covid situation has worsened the condition of the people, especially in the capital. Though every sector of this society has been suffering from this inevitable pandemic situation, students have their own stories. Packed in the home since last year, muddled with the study processes, observing the medical emergencies around (sometimes in their own families), the students are trying to cope with this dramatically horrible situation. They have to focus on their career and the post-covid future and the boards and universities have their different complications.
Cancellation of the Board Exams
Some of the schools have shifted their classroom mode to the online platform which has its own flaws. The boards are though trying to be lenient on the students, how much their decision is going to help them, is unpredictable. Last year also many exams were canceled and many postponed, likewise this year also many boards have been canceled. The CBSE, CICSE, and many other boards have canceled the exams looking upon the situation of the pandemic, the university exams have a direct effect. The admission processes in the central, as well as the state universities, can suffer and a way out has to be proposed to handle this situation.
Delhi University Postponed the Final Year Exams
The University of Delhi has also made some changes in the scheduled examinations for the final year courses. Though the exams aren’t canceled, it has been postponed for some time. The University has extended their exam dates to 7th June that were scheduled to start from the 1st of this month. However, the students are demanding a cancellation of these exams. The final exams of the semesters are decided to be conducted online in an OBE (open book exam) format, according to a statement released by the university management.
A Common Entrance Exam for All The Central Universities
After the announcement made by the CBSE and other boards for the cancellation of their exams, there is a big challenge for the university regarding undergraduate admissions. The acting Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, P C Joshi has said that the university will make these entrances in a different way and the admissions will be carried out without compromising with the merit of the students. He further suggested a common entrance exam for all the central universities, CUCET (central universities common entrance test) for minimizing the exposure of students for various entrances without ignoring the merit eligibility. After the cancellation of the board exams, the admission criteria would be a challenge for the universities and colleges that consider the 12 marks to be the merit for the entrances. The majority of the students applying for the undergraduate courses are CBSE board students.
Joshi further elaborated his statement by giving an indication for the discussion to be held with the admission committee and the academic council of the University after that only any conclusion would be made. P C Joshi is a member of the CUCET, and the committee is in the process to discuss this with the education ministry as well. Joshi suggested that the common entrance would be a good decision without compromising the merit eligibility.
OBE Format for the Exams Starting from 7th June
Meanwhile, the University has decided not to cancel its final year exams and rather conduct them online on OBE format, announced the management on its official website. However the intermediate semester exams will not be conducted and the students will be promoted on the assessment-based evaluation, according to the university website. Further guidelines will be released soon by the university portal. The dates were confirmed by a notice released by D S Rawat, the Dean of Examinations, Delhi University.