JNU Teachers rejected WhatsApp Examination, asked Administration to make U-turn

Amid boycott by the students, the JNU administration had decided alternative mode to conduct examinations in which students were sent questions through email and were asked to submit photos of the completed answer sheets via WhatsApp or email. The teachers have rejected the process calling it to compromise with academic standards and quality.

In a meeting on Friday, the General Body (GM) of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) unanimously rejected the WhatsApp examination conducted by the university administration for the Summer Semester which reportedly concluded in December 2019. The teachers have demanded the university to stop the process of registration in the Winter Semester till the academic requirements of the previous semester are completed as per the norms and quality standards of the university.

In a first in its history, the JNU administration has ordered to conduct the Summer 2019 semester exams through WhatsApp. The Vice-Chancellor had justified the decision in the wake of the unprecedented situation of the 'complete lockdown' of the university due to ongoing protests. According to the university administration, the majority of the students participated in the examination wherein question papers were sent through email and students submitted their answer sheets via email and WhatsApp, etc. The administration declared them passed. As per the information provided on Friday, the JNU administration claimed that about 65 percent of hostelers and 95 percent day scholars completed their registration process. "About 100 percent of students of engineering, management and science disciplines have completed registration while registrations are low in Arts and Aesthetics, International Studies, and Social Sciences," said an official of the university.

Besides demanding the immediate sacking of the Vice-Chancellor Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, the JNUTA has also demanded a judicial inquiry into the January 5 violence on the campus which had left about 20 students injured (https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/education/835851-jnuta-demands-judicial-inquiry-into-jnu-violence).

It is pertinent to mention that despite all the efforts including the threat of invoking 'service contracts' the university administration has failed to start classes for the Winter Semester. The JNUTA which has about 70 percent of the university teachers as its members, has announced to boycott the classes until their demands including removal of Vice-Chancellor, impartial inquiry into the violence in the camps, action against internal security agency, etc. are met.

JNU Students Union (JNUSU) is protesting against the hostel fee hike since October 28, 2019.