Finalising mode of conducting exams in view of lockdown: JNU

The Jawaharlal Nehru University on Tuesday said it is in the process of finalizing the mode of conducting exams in view of the lockdown due to coronavirus. In a statement, the varsity said a consultative meeting was held among the vice-chancellor, rectors, registrar and several deans of schools and chairpersons of special centers on April 12.

In the meeting, it was decided that deans of schools and chairpersons of special centers will consult their respective faculties and prepare a set of recommendations relevant to their respective schools or special centers on the comprehensive mechanism that would be followed to complete the courses, hold examinations, and facilitate dissertations, theses guidance and submissions. "Given that JNU students come from different parts of India and there exists a complex set of problems of good Internet connectivity in rural areas, a flexible, yet efficient, mechanism will be devised by the deans of schools and chairpersons of special centers to facilitate students in completing their academic requirements," the varsity said. Deans of schools and chairpersons of special centers have been requested to submit their recommendations by April 16 after wider consultations with various centers and faculty members. After approval of the competent authority, the final decisions on methods of completing courses and conducting examinations and other related issues would be reported to the Academic Council, the varsity said.

The varsity had set up two committees earlier to recommend steps for completion of Winter Semester and for conducting exams amid the lockdown. A combined report submitted by the two committees recommended conducting online examinations, using virtual learning methods and canceling the summer vacation this year.

The report also suggested giving a grace period to students unable to take online exams during lockdown period. The two committees further suggested online modes of teaching and learning.

"Classes should be conducted on Zoom or other online platforms mutually convenient to course teacher as well as students," according to the report. The report has spoken about finding ways of online teaching so that it can be completed by May 15.

The report also suggested that viva voce for qualified students in JNU entrance exam should be conducted through video conferencing mode. After approval of the competent authority, the final decisions on methods of completing courses and conducting examinations and other related issues would be reported to the Academic Council.

The JNU Teachers' Association called the recommendations "academically and practically not feasible". Meanwhile, the varsity is organizing a workshop on ''Empowering Teaching through Online Mode'' to enable the JNU faculty to become familiar with the digital platforms on April 18 and 19, it's VC M Jagadesh Kumar said.

Using digital platforms to reach out to students during these challenging times is very important to keep the teaching-learning processes going, he added.