SRINAGAR: Students and teachers at universities in Kashmir, which were recently closed by the administration due to the coronavirus pandemic, have questioned the move to continue examinations on campuses.
Officials, however, maintained that the decision to not postpone the exams was necessitated in view of the undue delay in the academic degrees of the students over the years.
Last week, the J&K government ordered closure of schools, colleges and universities in Jammu and Kashmir till March 31 amid the growing scare of the novel coronavirus, but it alloed the holding of Board and competitive examinations.
But students at the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) questioned whether the precautionary measure was serving any purpose as the administration had “unofficially” scheduled various semester-end and practical examinations on the campus, thus putting lives of students at risk.
Students said that the varsity had scheduled the semester-end examinations of students pursuing different integrated programmes in Animal Sciences from March 18.
Besides, presentations and viva of many students were also underway, they added.
“Given the prevailing situation wherein health experts have warned against going to public places, it would be bizarre to take such risks,” a student said.
Another student at CUK’s Mathematics Department told Kashmir Reader that internals, presentations, and viva-voce of students were underway at the campus.
The students further alleged that the varsity administration had “unofficially” forwarded the examination schedule to individual students rather than putting it on the website to avoid facing any administrative action.
CUK Vice Chancellor Prof Meraj ud Din Mir acknowledged that the examinations were underway at the varsity even amid the coronavirus scare.
Prof Mir, however, said that the examinations involved “small gatherings” and had been scheduled on the students’ consent and for their own good.
At Kashmir University (KU), which postponed postgraduate exams besides suspending class work and closing down hostels after the government’s directive, the 3rd semester undergraduate examinations at its affiliated colleges are also going on, a teacher said.
KU Registrar Prof Nisar Ahmad Mir said that the decision to continue with the UG examination had been taken in view of delay in the students’ degrees over the past few years.

Irshad Khan