DU asks Telegram to close group formed to help students in open-book exam

NEW DELHI: Delhi University has written to messaging app Telegram to discontinue a group formed to allegedly help the varsity students during their online open book exam. The varsity's online open book exams (OBE) commenced on Monday for the final semester postgraduate and undergraduate students with nearly 35,000 students taking them on the first day. The exams are being held in OBE mode owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It has come to the notice of the Examination Branch that a whatsapp/telegram group has been created to take help for examination. Students are advised not to subscribe any such groups. We have identified those students, and all these cases will come under unfair means and action will be taken as per university rules," said a mail sent by the university to the students. D S Rawat, Dean (Examinations) said the varsity received an email from an anonymous source regarding the group. "We have identified 112-113 students who were part of the group. We have taken details of the group and also written to Telegram to discontinue such a group," he said.

The official said the unfair means committee of the varsity is looking into the matter. It will ascertain whether the group members actually are DU students. It will also try to ascertain whether the group was created to fleece students, he added. The OBE was held for the first time last year by the varsity owing to the COVID-19 situation.

According to data shared by the varsity on Tuesday, 33,302 students were registered to appear for the exams on the first day, out of which 32,978, took the exam. On the second day, 15,374 students were registered to take the exam, out of which 14,760 appeared for the exam, it stated. "The attendance was 99 percent on the first day and 96 percent the second day. These numbers are quite good. Even in physical mode of exams, dropout is more," Rawat said.

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