The University of Madras has decided to hold the semester exams, which may begin on December 21, in the online mode to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The exam duration is likely to be three hours. A decision to this effect was taken at the Syndicate meeting on Friday.
In the normal course the exam would have been held in November.
But not all Syndicate members were convinced that it would be feasible to conduct online exams.
“Students had problems with connectivity and there was a lot of confusion with downloading the question papers and uploading the answer scripts. It would be better to have it as an offline process,” said one member.
Another member said there were concerns about whether candidates would be able to travel. The member had suggested that candidates within the city can go for pen-and-paper mode whereas those who are unable to travel can take the exam online.
A member from an affiliated college said he had suggested that the colleges be allowed to choose the mode of exam, evaluation and marking of the candidates.
An official said since the university had extended the deadline for payment of exam fees till December 9 the exams were also delayed. “We need some breathing time. There is the issue of hall tickets and student enrolment,” he said.
Some autonomous colleges have started holding the semester exams via online from Friday.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/madras-university-semester-exams-will-be-held-online/article33255901.ece
