HC: 8% students registered for OBEs have completed mock tests

new delhi: The Delhi University on Thursday finally presented data on online exam registrations and students who had appeared for mock tests before the Delhi High Court, which took serious note of the numbers, pointing out that only 8 per cent of the total number of students registered for the OBEs could complete the first mock test conducted by the varsity.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad also took note of DU's apparent confusion over whose responsibility it was to provide scribes to visually impaired students and directed the university to file a detailed response with complete data of both phases of mock tests along with clarifications on its position for arranging scribes for visually impaired students.

After looking at the numbers presented by DU, the high court called them dismal and even raised questions on the varsity's ability to prepare for the examinations in time, noting that its attitude does not inspire confidence. The bench said, "Only 8% of the total number of registered students could successfully complete the process. The figures are even more abysmal for students under the PwD category and visually impaired category."

Moreover, while the varsity maintained that scribes will be made available to visually impaired students by the CSC Academy, which have been set up to provide services to students who do not have the infrastructure to give OBE, the CEO of CSC Academy clarified that it was not their duty to arrange for scribes and they do not have such writers at the centres.

"There is complete mismatch of statements made by the two sides. There is complete contradiction. Why are you (DU) giving wrong hope to students that everything is available at CSCs? Why are you misrepresenting them?" the bench said.

The bench added It is quite clear that it is the responsibility of DU to make available scribes for visually handicapped students otherwise the whole process of online OBE would be a mockery for the said students. Senior advocate Sachin Dutta, representing the Delhi university, said it was not mandatory for the students to appear in online OBE and they can give the physical exams later in September. It is only in the interest of students that the online exams are being conducted, he added.

To this, the bench said the university was closing PwD students' right to appear through the online mode by not providing them proper facilities including scribes. The high court was hearing pleas by law student Prateek Sharma and National Federation of Blind seeking to set up effective mechanisms for visually impaired and specially-abled students so that educational instructions can be transmitted to them properly and teaching material is provided to them through online mode of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the NFB informed the court that 189 visually impaired students had written to the university via email seeking reading materials, scribes and assisting devices but have not received a response from the Delhi University.

Ever since pleas challenging the OBEs have arrived at the Delhi High Court, multiple benches have taken serious note of and questioned the Delhi University's lack of preparedness to conduct these examinations. In fact, at many points of time, the court has desperately called the university's attention to the fact that it was playing with the lives of lakhs of students by not being

prepared.