CU reduces online exam time, meet today to rework plan

Kolkata: Calcutta University Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Asis Kumar Chattopadhyay will hold a meeting with principals of all colleges on Monday at the Rajabazar Science college campus to chalk out a plan of conducting the final semester examinations smoothly adhering to University Grants Commission's recent letter asking the varsity that it was free to hold end semester open-book examinations but it should be held within two or three hours.

The university in its faculty council meeting on Saturday decided to give two to three hours to final-year undergraduate and postgraduate examinees to answer questions and another 30 minutes to upload the answers, as per directions of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The university had earlier said that students would get 24 hours for answering questions and uploading their answers.

"The meeting will be held in three to four phases maintaining physical distancing norms," said a principal of a south Calcutta college. According to the UGC instructions, exams can be of two-hour duration for some subjects and three-hour for some. Extra 30 minutes can be given to students for uploading their answers.

"A section of students particularly those in remote areas may face problems over internet connectivity and might not be able to upload their answer scripts in half an hour time. We may ask them to appear in their respective colleges physically to sit for their examinations," said a principal of a Central Kolkata college.

"The college principals will place their views over the decision taken by the university and accordingly a mechanism will be worked out for conducting examinations smoothly," said a senior administrative official of CU. The university has already announced that undergraduate and postgraduate examinations will start on October 1 and continue till October 8. The results will be declared within October 30.