The National University of Modern Languages has decided to give in to the demand of its protesting students and agreed to hold online examinations for the Fall semester.
According to a notification issued by NUML’s management, exams of the MS and MPhil programmes will be taken on campus while the rest of them will be conducted online.
Students who have their exams from February 1 and are facing connectivity issues at home will be allowed to sit for them on the campus and will be provided internet, it read.
Related: Resume on-campus classes then take physical exams, NUML students demand
The decision was taken after students of the varsity took to the streets protesting against in-person exams. They said if classes were taken online, so their exams should be online too.
After discussing the matter with students, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and the education ministry, NUML made the decision in favor of students.
Student protests in Pakistan
Students across Pakistan have taken to the streets in protest of the universities’ decision of holding physical exams for Fall semester 2020-2021.
They have demanded that their exams should be held online since their classes were online the entire semester. “The learning management system was not working most of the time and the quality of our classes was very bad,” one of the protesters complained.
The students have demanded that the exams should either be taken online or universities should postpone the finals.
“Give us classes on campus for two months and then take the exams,” they said, adding that otherwise, they will continue their protests. Following this, #StudentsWantOnlineExams started trending on Twitter.
Protests sprung up in other parts of the country such as Bahawalpur, Multan, and Dera Ghazi Khan as well. Following this, a number of varsities such as the University of Management and Technology and the University of Peshawar reverted their decision and postponed the exams.
The management of the universities had earlier said that as the government was reopening universities from February 1, they might as well take exams on campus.
Earlier this week, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said the Higher Education Commission will consult varsities on the matter but the final decision rests in the managements’ hands.
The HEC does not have any authority over the academic decisions made by the varsities, Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir told SAMAA TV. “The HEC only advises them when they consult the body.”
He condemned the action taken by the students. “This way anyone will come onto the streets and blackmail the authorities to make decisions in their favour.”
Yasir added that the varsities should talk to students and reach a decision that is acceptable for both the students and the management.
from SAMAA https://ift.tt/2KX85XK
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