One semester exam held in two years, PG students at KU demand promotion through internal assessment

Srinagar: Postgraduate students of the 2018 and 2019 batches at Kashmir University (KU) have appealed to the varsity administration to promote them to next semesters on the basis of internal assessment as per guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission in view of the prevailing COVID-19 lockdown.
The 2018 batch students, who took admission in September 2018 for various postgraduate programmes, said that they had appeared in only a lone semester-end examination in the last two years, otherwise the whole duration of their degrees.
The students appeared in the 1st semester examination in June last year. They had attended only a few classes in their 2nd semester before the abrogation of Article 370 in August led to a pan-Kashmir lockdown.
The prevailing Covid-19 lockdown has only added to the students’ woes. Those from the 2019 batch are yet to appear in their opening semester examinations.
The aggrieved students said that they were “hounded by the uncertainty over the fate of their academic degrees.”
The students alleged that universities in other states had already started following UGC guidelines in promoting students to next semesters on the basis of internal assessment, but KU remains adamant on not following the UGC guidelines.
The students said that the university had decided to hold internal assessment tests online and had set June 15 as the deadline for completing the syllabus of undergraduate and post-graduate courses.
The students said that internal assessment as per UGC guidelines is the only practical and advisable mode for promotion to next semester. They requested the university authorities to take an early decision in this regard so that the students can concentrate on the ongoing online classes without stress and uncertainty.
Officials at KU were not available for comments on this issue.

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