Cancelling open book examinations the most humanitarian, equitable solution: CLC students to Delhi HC judges, Delhi University admin

The final year students of Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law at Delhi University have addressed a letter to the judges of the Delhi High Court and the University administration, urging them to cancel the Open Book Examinations that are scheduled to be held during the COVID-19 pandemic. .The students have urged the University to rectify the anomalies noted in the letter and create a proper plan for holding examinations..Responding to the University’s decision to conduct Open Book Examinations (OBE), which was conveyed by the University’s Dean of Examination to a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court yesterday, the Campus Law Centre Students’ Union 2019-20 has remarked that, ."It is unfortunate that our alma-mater has shown scant regard for our welfare and our prospects in the future. This is borne out by the inability of its administration to create a proper plan for holding our examinations despite the UGC exhorting universities to make preparations way back on 29.4.2020."CLC Students’ Union.Delhi University agrees to hold Open Book Exam between August 10-31 after Delhi HC asks it to advance exam schedule.The student body has registered protest that the administration did not make any efforts to assess the feasibility of conducting exams via the online medium till date..The letter reads further,"No attempts have been made to gauge our mental state, to measure the physical toll of a fatal fear and a fallible future. Instead we have been treated as a lifeless monolith ready to be cast in stone by sculptors who never embraced us as beings who breathe.".Stating that cancelling the OBE is the most humanitarian, equitable and elegant solution, the letter highlights the following issues revolving around the conduct of an online OBE:It would be a discriminatory procedure as it ignores the fact that secure, stable and fast internet connection and access to smart devices will not be available with every student. It is stated that the "procedural guide issued by DU is nothing more than a utopian fiction but certainly India is far away right now from that position." Referring to students who may be based out of Jammu & Kashmir where internet restrictions continue to prevail, the letter adds, "the conduct of online exam in this situation doesn’t leave the students of these regions with a choice but rather makes them involuntary participants in a failed experiment."The conduct of offline exams as a relief measure for students who will not able to conform to the requirements of OBE online is totally ill-founded, due to the uncertain circumstances prevailing during the pandemic and given that most of the DU students are outstation residents.With regard to the dysfunctional online platform provided by DU, the Court has already been apprised of the blatant errors which have occurred during the mock exams organised by the administration.Noting that the proposed OBE for final year students are not yet conducted, the process of evaluation may stretch to the rear end of the current year, jeopardising the future of students who may have gotten placed or admitted into post-graduate courses abroad..Bearing in mind the above-stated difficulties in organizing and attempting the exam online, a request has been made to promote the students on the basis of the performance in the previous semesters by taking the aggregate score for five semesters and extrapolating them to calculate the marks for the final semester..However, if the University decides to go ahead with the exams, then the following suggestions are made:The University should allow the respective teachers to grade their students on the basis of internal assignments.Problem-based question paper format can also be adopted as a last resort, whereby questions are uploaded on the morning of the exam day and answer sheets are submitted by evening via a portal..Lastly, the student body has implored the High Court to address the pending petitions in light of the concerns and suggestions expressed in the instant letter on behalf of the single most important stakeholder in conduct of this OBE i.e., the students..As per the University’s decision, the students have time till July 25 to register for the examination..Read the Letter here: