Varsity students protest on-campus exams

Stage demonstration outside Bahria University, block Stadium Road

The students of Bahria University staged a protest outside the varsity on Thursday, demanding that exams be conducted online.

Holding placards and shouting slogans, the protesting students questioned that if classes could be conducted online, then why not exams.

They blocked Stadium Road, following which the university administration closed the varsity’s gates and called the police.

The students, however, were adamant that they would continue to stage the protest until a notification for holding online exams was issued.

They were of the view that if the varsity was to conduct on-campus exams, it may do so only after conducting on-campus classes for at least a month.

“We are not against digitisation, but we have not been able to prepare for exams properly given that classes were conducted online. The administration is holding on-campus exams just so that it can collect huge sums in fee,” a student alleged.

The students told The Express Tribune that when they had raised the matter with the university administration, they were told that online exams could only be held after a notification was issued by Bahria University’s Islamabad campus.

Read: Students protest on-campus exams

HEC’s statement

A day prior to the protest, the Higher Education Commission had disregarded the objections raised by students on on-campus exams, stating that it was at universities’ discretion whether to hold exams online or on campus.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the HEC said the vice-chancellors of universities were consulted on the matter.

The HEC said in the statement that it was not up to universities to decide whether to conduct exams online or on campus, however, adding that in either case, the performance of students in exams should be assessed in a “transparent” manner.

Hybrid model

Meanwhile, in light of students’ concerns, the University of Karachi and Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari introduced a hybrid model of exams.

Under this system, the varsities will be conducting online exams for subjects the classes for which were held online, and on-campus exams for subjects the classes for which were held on campus.

Multiple attempts were made to contact HEC chairperson Dr Tariq Banuri, but he remained unavailable to comment on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2021.