Gaurisha Kapila, a final year student at SGTB Khalsa College, the University of Delhi who among thousands of other students is distressed over the upcoming online Open Book Examinations (OBE) tested positive for COVID-19 on July 1.
While several students across the varsity were seen boycotting OBE after facing technical glitches, the ailing girl says that she does not want to miss future opportunities by skipping exams.
The 21-year old English Major could not even appear for the Mock test which was conducted to familiarize the students with the pattern of the question paper. “I do not have a choice but to appear in the exams. The University is saying it will conduct another round of exams whenever the situation improves. But I cannot wait for my degree for an unknown period. There is so much uncertainty. If I wait, my graduation will be stuck and I will not be able to do anything else,” she said.
Even though the University has said that it will provide students who could not appear in online exams with another opportunity, it has not made any specific announcements for COVID-19 positive students like Kapila. “I had contacted my college teachers and written to the college authorities about my situation. The college had forwarded my letter to the University Administration but there has been no response yet,” she added.
Currently, Kapila is in home isolation at her residence in Uttam Nagar, West Delhi, and is living with her mother. She was already distressed over the online exams way before she tested positive for the virus and now finds herself in an even pressing dilemma as she is obscure about the entire situation.
