Tone-deaf response
The pandemic has changed things — what it has affected the most is the way we interact with the world, the way we work and the way we learn. It has brought the reality of the digital age to those who were ambiguously caught in the middle. Using digital methods to learn, to work and even interact will no longer be an outlier — a supplement but rather the norm. For the foreseeable future, digital literacy will become a vital aspect of functional existence. And yet, as is the case with all advancements, access to this new age will be varied, it will we be discriminatory. There will be those with the means to adapt and those who will be waylaid in the process, not given a chance to even catch up. As companies worldwide struggle to reach a solution with regard to remote work and varied digital access amongst its employees, it is now time to consider the education sector. In May, Delhi University released guidelines for various colleges to conduct online open-book exams in July. Almost from the get-go, the plan faced strident opposition from the students and teachers themselves. The reasons for this opposition are more than obvious. The new guidelines would require students to possess a smartphone and/or computer with which they can access online resources and study on their own. For the exams alone, they are expected to download the questions papers, write answers on self-provided A4 sheets, scan the sheets and then upload the answer sheet as a PDF using DU's web facility — all to be completed within a three-hour window.
DU has been as a bastion of undiscriminating learning since its inception, a place where differences in socio-economic backgrounds are levelled out to a large extent and only capability matters. A student's background is not relevant to their access to study materials. But, during this time, many of the students have been forced to return home. They no longer have the benefit of equitable access to college resources and must rely on what they have back home. At such a time, an open-book exam based on self-study and unequal access to the required learning materials is blatantly unfair and more than a little elitist. One of the core tenants of education is equality of opportunity based on equal access. As DU looks to modernise its system and move on past the hurdles, the university authorities cannot charge forward pretending that they are blind to ground realities. We do not live in an ideal world and it is the job of every competent authority to face this and have a plan with sensibility. Education has always been prone to falling into patterns of inequality. Some can afford expensive coaching and better prep material. But there was always a scope for hard work and dedication to bridge the gap made by resource inequity. The new DU guidelines simply serve to further complicate an already treacherous path for those that hail from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.
The teachers have raised further concerns. Many are rightly concerned that DU is nowhere near prepared enough to handle such a monumental task of holding open book exams using web access. The mock exams held recently with this method did not inspire confidence. A poorly designed web portal led to broken hyperlinks, unrelated questions and serious breaches in the privacy of the students. The student unions tried to rally support as well, appealing through Twitter campaigns and it was hoped that the Delhi High Court will bring the matter to a reasonable compromise. While deliberations are still ongoing, in the meanwhile, despite all objections, the DU authorities have decided to go ahead with the exams from July 10. They have also informed the High Court that those that miss these online exams for whatever reason can take physical exams in September. For final year undergraduate students looking to apply for postgraduate courses, the DU counsel has stated that will be provisionally granted admission to these courses under the condition of meeting the eligibility standards when they attend the physical exams in September.
All in all, the DU authorities actions feel far too dismissive of the opposition they are facing, with the High Court even considering contempt proceeding against the University for misinforming the Court regarding their capabilities to conduct open book exams using their portal. At this point, these special guidelines are only intended to tackle the 'unusual' circumstances presented by the pandemic but DU must consider the kind of precedent they set in these situations where their solution seems to blatantly favour certain sections and to the detriment of others, and perhaps the education system as a whole.
