Online university examinations in India are very unlikely to happen as the University Grants Commission (UGC) thinks the country doesn’t have the required infrastructure to conduct them. Most central universities have postponed their final exams, which usually take place in March and April, due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The UGC last week constituted a seven-member committee, headed by Haryana University vice-chancellor R.C. Kuhad, to look into matters such as examinations and academic session. According to sources, the committee is not in favour of online examinations. Discussions are on to postpone exams after colleges and universities re-open.

A senior UGC official said, “Online examinations in universities look like a remote possibility, because we do not have a mechanism of conducting exams through online mode. Also, there are many students who are in rural areas, or areas that do not have proper access to facilities. How will they be able to write exams?”

He also added, “These are the questions that the committee is dealing with, and is tilting against the idea of having online exams. What they are looking at, instead, is suggesting that the universities conduct exams after June, once the schools and colleges are open. We also agree with the idea that universities are not capable of holding online examinations.”

On similar lines, the Delhi University Teachers’ Association said, “Online education model cannot be a substitute to regular classroom teaching. It does not work in a country where internet connectivity and smartphones are limited to a class of students only.”

Also read: Coronavirus lockdown: MHRD directs CBSE, UGC to revise academic calendar

Source: The Print