Delhi University makes it possible for people from various sections of the society to be able to afford good-quality education. It won’t be wrong if I say that you can find a mini India there. From politics to glamorous fests, it amazes everyone, as well as me, with its style. Now, it again amazes me with its new decisions over examinations and online classes. From considering the option of online examinations to open-book online examinations due to lockdown, such decisions by the University amaze a lot.
Struggles Of Online Classes
It is a well-known fact that less than 50% of the Indian population has access to internet. In Delhi University, students come from various backgrounds. Many students are not familiar with technology. Yes! Almost every class has several Whatsapp groups, where they get notifications about classes and at times, assignments. But, not everyone is familiar with the technology of online classes.
For instance, initially, while beginning with online classes, the University students faced difficulties. These were not just related to an unstable network, which is obvious, but with using apps like Zoom, Google Meet or Google Hangouts. The first two days were spent learning how these apps work!
Why An Online Mode Of Examination Is Not Feasible
Well, one can say that if everything, from admission forms to examination form as well as fee submission, is being done online in Delhi University, then what’s the problem with online exams?
Well, did we ever try counting the earnings of cybercafes during the admission session of Delhi University? Exactly! This process of making everything online has mostly depended on cybercafes. We can also count the anxiety most of the students go through while checking their semester examination results, when the site shows “404 error found”.
Recently, an online examination form was introduced and the results were again the same. The form wasn’t working properly, and it took around four to five days for the University to fix the issue.
Even if the University does come up with amazing technology, yet, we need assurance that every concerned student is connected with high speed or 4G connectivity. Otherwise, many will not be able to perform as well as they could have through a regular pen-paper examination.
Students Without “Privileges”
It is a really concerning time for those students who went back home during their mid-semester break, but couldn’t come back due to the lockdown. Most importantly, we must not forget about the students from Jammu and Kashmir. A second-year student of my college who is in Jammu right now told me that she couldn’t attend online classes because of 2G internet connectivity in her State.
Now, online examinations would be an addition to the problems of students like her. Firstly, they could not attend online classes due to slow network speed, and in case they didn’t take the study material along (hoping to come back for exams later), they can’t access it now. It is equally stressful for students belonging to the PWD category. Moreover, many students aren’t equipped with laptops or smartphones.
A friend from Jammu and Kashmir who studies in a private university told me that he couldn’t get access to online texts or exams because he doesn’t have 4G connectivity, which got snapped after 5th August last year. He wrote an email to his college regarding the same.
Private Space At Homes
It is reality that virtual classes cannot replace physical classrooms. This is because most of the students don’t have personal space at home, which could mean experiencing background noise during online classes. It is very tough to focus on studies when there are actives going on around you. For that matter, most families cannot stop their household chores for classes.
This problem is not just with students, but with professors as well. When at home, people do face such challenges, and this system is forgetting that professors also have families and responsibilities back home. They too have to prepare for lectures and teach in the same environment where they have their household work to do. It is more challenging for female professors who have kids, because of which their everyday responsibility doubles.
Increase In Inaccessibility Due To Economic And Digital Divide
One has to accept that a lot of people cannot recharge their 4G data, or they live in an area where network is poor. This idea of online examination will end up taking away opportunities from such students who, in any case, will not be able to appear for online exams. Not having high speed data has already caused many of them a loss. They could not attend classes or access online study material easily, and if such is the situation, how will they appear for exams if they don’t have a suitable network connectivity?
In these tough times, professors, students and their family members are trying to pretend that they are fine. That doesn’t mean everything is actually fine.