DU Final Semester Exams 2021: DUTA urges administration for alternative mode of evaluation

In a letter addressed to acting vice-chancellor P C Joshi, the DUTA said that considering the damage caused by the second wave of COVID-19, the university should review its decision regarding examinations.

The Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) has urged the varsity administration to extend the alternative mode of assessment to the students of terminal semesters amid the ongoing COVID-19 second wave.

Last year, the Delhi University had evaluated the first and second-year students on the basis of their internal assessment and their performance in the previous semester. The varsity had opted for an online open-book examination for the final-year postgraduate and undergraduate students, despite opposition from students and teachers.

In a letter addressed to acting vice-chancellor P C Joshi, the DUTA said that considering the damage caused by the second wave of COVID-19, the university should review its decision regarding examinations.

"With the kind of damage which families have suffered, we feel that the university should review the decision regarding examinations for the terminal semester/year students. The alternate mode adopted for the continuing students may be extended to the terminal semester students as well,” it said.

Earlier, owing to the sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the varsity had announced to postpone the final-year and final semester exams by 15 days.

The exams were supposed to begin on May 15 but will now begin on June 1. They will be in online mode and held in the open-book format. The teachers' body said that the university should use its energy in declaring pending fifth-semester results so that students can get degrees on time.

“The university should pursue the matter with the UGC (University Grants Commission) and MoE (Ministry of Education), if so required,” the letter reads.

The teachers' body also said that the students across colleges and courses were not in a position to submit the internal assessment (IA) given their mental stress and family situations, and demanded this deadline be relaxed further.

The body said that many teachers are still in the grip of COVID-19 and are finding it difficult to meet the deadlines. They also request that the suspension of classes be continued for another 15 days.

The DUTA also appealed to the university that all the serving ad-hoc teachers be continued through the summer vacation. The services of ad-hoc teachers are only up to May 28.