Online Petition To PM Modi Demands Withdrawal Of UGC Guidelines On University Exams
Courtesy: NDTV
New Delhi: The Joint Forum for Movement on Education (JFME) has started an online petition seeking withdrawal of UGC Guidelines and cancellation of final year exams. The petition was started on the platform 'Change.org' and will be submitted to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi after it receives 1000 digital signatures.
Citing the differential access to digital devices for online education, the petition says that the existing inequalities in education has amplified during the lockdown imposed in light of covid-19 crisis. At a time like this, the UGC's revised guidelines are illogical.
"In this context, the recently released 'UGC Revised Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar for the Universities in view of COVID-l9 Pandemic', propose illogical and unacademic solutions for evaluating and granting degrees to students," the petition says.
The petition says that UGC's guidelines are supposedly premised on the idea to provide safe, fair, and equal opportunity to students while safeguarding the academic interests of students. It also supposes that online examinations are a viable alternative to regular exams. However, the petition says, both these premises are ill-founded.
Petition says that in addition to the difficulties posed by covid-19, recent floods in several parts of the country and consequent problems of electricity etc. are one of the few difficulties in conducting fair online examinations.
The petition also says that the UGC Guidelines have acknowledged concerns expressed by different State Governments and Universities. The one-size-fits-all approach is not conducive to the diversity in the circumstances of different universities including geographical, socio-economic status, whether they are unitary universities or have affiliated institutions, the relative importance of undergraduate and post-graduate courses, their disciplinary mix, their mediums of instruction and examination, etc.
The guidelines also ignore the fact that Education is in the concurrent list and hence State Governments ought to have a say in the decision.
The petition has also listed reasons which question the credibility of conducting online examinations. It says that online or blended mode of examinations cannot match up to the standards of regular exams in ensuring fairness, credibility and integrity of the process.
The online or blended form of examination is also discriminatory towards those without books, notes and online resources, stable internet connection etc. It is also discriminatory to differently-abled students and those from an underprivileged background.
The petition also stipulates that an examination that cannot monitor the use of unfair means will effectively penalize those who are honest and promote malpractice.
"Other forms of credible and meaningful assessment like internal / continuous assessment and / or average scores of past semesters would meet the criteria of fairness and integrity better," says the petition in favor of alternative modes of assessment.
It also adds that canceling final exams will not lead to an undervalued degree since all semesters are modular and autonomous of each other, students are examined on the courses covered in only one semester and there is no overarching final examination. Students of the final year have already been through several rounds of formal evaluation and assessments and only a small part of the total evaluation is pending.
UGC has already issued guidelines to conduct assessment for intermediate students on the basis of average of past semesters and the internal assessment of the current semester and there is no reason to believe that such an alternative cannot be adopted for final semester.
The forum seeks immediate intervention of the Prime Minister for the withdrawal the UGC Guidelines, the immediate cancellation of the mandatory requirement of examinations for final year students.
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Karnataka power tussle: BJP leader calls Siddaramaiah 'Sultan for 15 days'
Bengaluru/Bagalkot (PTI): In the midst of the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, senior BJP leader and MP Govind Karjol called CM Siddaramaiah "Pandrah din-ka-Sultan" (Sultan for 15 days), and said after that, he will not be the chief minister of the state.
Speculation has once again surfaced within the Congress party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for Assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, are announced.
"With the fight for the CM chair in the Congress, there seems to be no administration at Vidhana Soudha. The result for Siddaramaiah's CM chair fight will also be declared, along with election results for five states (four states and one union territory) and bypoll results for Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly seats in Karnataka," Karjol, a former Deputy CM, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "As per today's information, Siddaramaiah is a Sardar for fifteen days, he is Pandrah din-ka-Sultan, after that Siddaramaiah will not be the chief minister of the state."
Stating that Shivakumar is ready to take up the top job, the MP said that this is the reason Siddaramaiah's supporters have gone to New Delhi to meet the Congress President.
"Already 40-odd legislators have lobbied in support of Siddaramaiah; about 50 are lobbying in support of Shivakumar. Amid this fight for the CM chair, the administration has completely collapsed," he said, urging the government to focus on addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer by releasing at least Rs 50 crore per district.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Monday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary (in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala in New Delhi and requested them to address the speculation regarding the change of leadership in Karnataka.
Subsequently, Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa too met the party leadership in Delhi.
Both Jarkiholi and Mahadevappa are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
While MLAs and leaders who want Shivakumar to be elevated as CM have recently claimed they expect some "sweet news" by May 15, which is their leader's birthday.
Meanwhile, a team of 40 MLAs is preparing to visit New Delhi to press the Congress high command for a Cabinet reshuffle.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka hit out at the Congress leadership for indulging in "power tussle" instead of addressing the people's concerns. He called the government "anti-people" and "dead" to the people of the state.
With the fight for the CM chair, the ruling Congress in Karnataka seems to be shifting to Delhi. Congress MLAs are repeatedly touring Delhi, upset over the state leadership amid a power struggle between the CM and Deputy CM. This proves that there is no value for the state leadership," he said.
Pointing out that the Deputy CM Shivakumar was not present at the recent special cabinet meeting, which decided on internal reservation among SCs, the opposition leader said, "If the cabinet meeting was held purposely, despite knowing that Shivakumar was in Delhi, it proves that there are factions within the party"
"This government is dead in a way," he said, as he hit out at the Congress MLAs and Ministers, including Shivakumar, for doing "Delhi Yatras" instead of addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer, picking up in the state.
