Students of Andhra Pradesh universities demand cancellation of exams

VISAKHAPATNAM: Many students of various state universities have been protesting in different parts of the state for the last few days, demanding cancellation of examinations for first and second year degree students and PG first year in the wake of Covid-19.
The varsities, which are in the midst of conducting final exams, announced the schedules for the exams of first and second year students. Andhra University students protested on a large scale twice in the last one week.
The students of PR Degree College, Kakinada, have taken up an SMS campaign against the proposed exams of the college. The activists staged a protest at Adikavi Nannaya University, Rajahmundry on the same issue on Tuesday.
The University Grants Commission, in its guidelines to the higher educational institutions, made the exams for the graduating or the outgoing students mandatory. However, when it comes to the students of intermediate semester or year, the universities will have the freedom to conduct exams based on a comprehensive assessment of the situation or even grading the students based on their performance in the previous semesters and internal evaluations.
Claiming that they were kept in the dark about the impending exams till the last minute and citing the risk of Covid-19 transmission and lack of transport facility and preparation time, the students demanded that the varsities cancel the exams.
Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan, in a statement on Monday, asked the higher education council to rethink the proposed engineering exams. “The council can also replicate the model of exams adopted by various premier educational institutions in other states to reduce pressure on the students,” said Pawan Kalyan.
On the other hand, the universities made all the arrangements for the exams. Andhra University in-charge registrar GV Ravindranadh Babu said that the cancellation or postponement of exams would adversely affect the prospects of final year students who have backlogs in their first and second years. “The students, who may miss out the exams due to various reasons, can attend the re-exams to be conducted a few weeks later,” he said.

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