On the heels of students’ resenting the holding of “offline” undergraduate examinations, the Nagaland University (NU) reasserted on November 29 that the exams will go ahead as scheduled. The NU Registrar maintained that the examinations will take place as notified by the University on October 21. It is assumed the reassertion would put to rest the issue and the students will return to preparing for the exams.
However, as an observer, one cannot help but brood over the issue and the grievances aired by the protesting students in the representation to the NU Vice Chancellor on November 26.
While it is in no way intended to ridicule, some of the grievances put forth by the protesting students on why “offline” exams should not be conducted appeared to be based on flimsy grounds.
As submitted in the representation, it is assumed that the online teaching they underwent was not up to expectation. But if one is to sit over and give it a thought, it is like disclaiming the distance mode of learning, a tried and tested system often adopted by people, who were not fortunate enough to get or complete formal schooling owing to personal constraints. Further, it is assumed that course materials were provided to them by the teachers.
A prolonged academic year it may have been but is it justified to claim that the sudden announcement of examination had a mentally traumatic effect? When were academic tests and exams not daunting to the mind? Every person, who went through school and college, was not immune to exam stress unless he or she was well prepared.
Moreover, it is an accepted fact that academic process takes place through evaluations/examinations conducted at regular intervals and educational institutes in Nagaland are no exception. It is known that examinations occur at certain times of the year and as a student, one is expected to be aware of this.
The contention that the examinees would be exposed to COVID-19 through “offline” exam mode, though not entirely untrue, holds no grounding as to call it off. The protesting students seemed to have not realised that they have themselves crowded together, many without the requisite face masks and “social distancing,” in a pandemic situation. Besides, a majority of school students are, at present, appearing offline exams for an academic session that began online.
How truthful were the protestors’ claim that they represented the college students of Nagaland when the protest was mainly centred in Dimapur?
That besides, the issue also brought into question the role of parents/guardians, the authorities of the various colleges and the All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU). What were the parents doing and why were they not indulging their wards in discussion at home?
What were the college authorities doing early on, only to come out with a threat of expulsion later on?
As for the ANCSU, it could have done better than washing its hands off. A clear disconnect between its executives and its affiliates was visible.
Furthermore, the sheer display of might by the police was another. Armed NAP (IR) counter-insurgency personnel and Special Task Force commandos, with a handful of riot police, deployed to quell a protest by a group of students was a sight to reconsider.
The writer is a Principal Correspondent at The Morung Express. Comments can be sent to imkongwalls@gmail.com
