Engineering students seek promotion without examination

“Promote VTU students” demand echoed the Facebook live programme with Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, organised by the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) student organisation on Tuesday.

More than 23,000 viewed the live programme and a majority of them were students from colleges that come under the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU). They requested the minister to promote them to the next semester without conducting any examinations.

One of the main reasons for the demand was that they were not able to attend online classes due to network issues. The students even gave examples of Goa and Maharashtra states which have cancelled examinations for various courses and promoted students.

A student requested the minister to attend an online class once to know the quality of teaching. “In our college, teachers skip and cover only 10% of the prescribed syllabus. When this is the case, how can we face examinations,” a student questioned.

Most of the students said that they were in their hometowns due to lockdown and were unable to access classes due to network issues. They demanded the minister to promote them without examinations.

However, Ashwath Narayan said the government has not taken any decision on the examinations and the issue would be decided in the first week of June.

“We have not decided anything about examinations. We will discuss with vice chancellors of all universities and decide in first week of June,” he added.