OU, UoH, JNTU exams from today

Around 2.5 lakh students across Telangana will appear for their final semester exams beginning today (September 16), to be conducted by Osmania University, JNTU and University of Hyderabad.

Responding to the Telangana High Court’s order to give clarity on the mode of conducting PG and UG exams, the state government on Monday had said that the autonomous universities and colleges are free to conduct either online or offline (physical) examinations, while affiliated engineering colleges and degree colleges cannot have online examinations.

While UoH finalised a method for conducting the last semester exams in a pen and paper online mode test, students of JNTU and OU will have to go to the exam centres to take the regular exams amidst the ever-increasing Coronavirus scare.

TSCHE chairperson, Prof. Papi Reddy, confirmed that these exam centres will follow the revised Covid-19 guidelines for conducting exams. Earlier the exams for Osmania university were scheduled from September 15. However, due to the ongoing court case over exams, the university informed the students on September 12 that they have been postponed by two days, to September 17, said a student.

He further added that even though the UGC has instructed to hold all final semester exams by September 30, these were not strict guidelines and that exams could stretch to the first week of October. Osmania university, for example, will hold exams for courses like M.Sc. and M.Com at a later date, the schedule for which has not yet been decided, according to the varsity authorities.

Students are however, still opposed to the idea of taking physical mode exams during a health emergency that has killed thousands across the country. Students say that they are forced to take the exam in such dire times only so that they don't lose out on a year of education.

“We don’t want to risk our lives in any manner but we don't have a lot of choices in front of us. It is either to expose ourselves and our families to the deadly infection or risk our careers. Therefore, we have decided to attempt the exam so that we are eligible for another opportunity,” said a student from Osmania University.

Universities have provided an option for students to re-appear for the final semester exams in October.