Students of various universities demand online examinations

As semesters are drawing to a close, students of some varsities have started making the demand for online examinations as their classes were also held online. Demanding online exams, students of the Textile Institute of Pakistan on Monday demonstrated a protest on the National Highway.

The protesters blocked the road and chanted slogans against the administration of the institute. They were of the view that they had been studying online for the last two semesters. Therefore, the administration should also conduct online exams.

Talking to the reporters, they said that they would not appear in the on-campus exams. They also complained about the fee structure and told that instead of reducing tuition fee, the institute had increased it without informing the students.

Demanding a concession in the tuition fee, the protesters said the fee structure of the institute should be revised or else they would extend their protest. However, later police held talks with students and they peacefully dispersed.

Meanwhile, students of the Dawood University of Engineering and Technology also staged a protest against the examination department of the varsity. The protesters gathered at the main entrance of the varsity where holding placards, they demanded online exams. In a video that one of the students posted on social media, it was said that as the varsity was unable to continue on-campus academic activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, the DUET examination department should now conduct online exams.

The protesters, however, said that if the examination department wanted on-campus exams, it should arrange classes on campus for all the batches in the coming two weeks. They also demanded that the varsity bear the transport expenses of those students who had shifted to the far-flung areas during the pandemic.

Last week, students of a private university located on the National Stadium Road had blocked the road demanding online exams. The students were of the view that the varsity administration had closed the main entrance and not allowed the students to enter the varsity. They also stated that parents had also been told to restrain their children from partaking in the protest against the varsity. However, later the varsity officials and students resolved the matter and the students ended their protest.

On January 27, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), while issuing a circular, had advised the universities to conduct exams keeping in view their capacity for fair assessment. After receiving the HEC guidelines, some of the varsities decided to hold online exams, while others favoured on-campus exams.