Lockdown 2: JNU to decide on digital exam, courses by April 16

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Team Careers360 | April 14, 2020 | 06:12 PM IST

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University, or JNU, is finalising the process of conducting exams either on digital platforms or other means because of the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the completion of courses and examinations, the JNU registrar said in a statement that a consensus emerged at a consultative meeting recently that officials concerned would submit their recommendations on April 16.

“Deans of Schools and Chairpersons of Special Centres have been requested to submit their recommendations by 16 April 2020 (Thursday) after wider consultations with various centres and faculty members”, the statement said.

The statement said a consensus emerged at a consultative meeting held on April 12 to discuss modalities of conducting examinations and completing the courses in view of the lockdown imposed till April 14. The lockdown has now been extended till May 3.

The vice chancellor, rectors, registrar and deans of schools and chairpersons of special centres attended the consultative meeting.

“A consensus emerged that Deans of Schools and Chairpersons of Special Centres will consult their respective faculties and prepare a set of recommendations”, the registrar said in the statement.

The consultative meeting discussed the challenges that need to be addressed to make sure that teaching-learning processes continue in an effective manner.

It was noted that the students of JNU come from different parts of the country and proper internet connectivity may not be accessible in rural areas. “Also the diversity of courses taught at the university does not allow ‘one-size-fit-all’ approach for imparting education through digital platforms,” the registrar said in the statement.

“The deans and chairpersons will have to formulate a flexible yet efficient mechanism to facilitate students in completing their academic requirements,” the statement added.

The nationwide lockdown that was imposed on March 25 has been extended till May 3 and all educational institutions will remain closed during this period.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this on April 14, the day on which the 21-day lockdown from March 25 ends. It will now continue for another 19 days, taking the total lockdown period to 40 days. It was enforced to control the spread of COVID-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus.