DU’s Open Book Examinations which had previously also faced flak are now being criticized again. The results of the OBE for final year students were recently announced and many discrepancies were noted.
Early Opposition to OBE
The University of Delhi had been adamant in conducting exams for final year students despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The university was heavily criticized for its decision to conduct Open Book Examinations or OBE in an online mode. Inability to access resources and technical glitches were cited as problems. The university had completely ignored these.
Despite various issues both on part of the students and the university, the exams were conducted. It was in order to provide the much-needed marks for students applying for higher studies. This however proved redundant when the results were announced beginning from the end of October. Huge discrepancies were reported in the declared results.
Marked Absent
Many students were marked absent for exams they did appear for. As quoted in The Hindustan Times, Binoy Bhushan, a nodal officer at Aryabhatta College stated that he has received 60 such complaints. He stated that students with acknowledgement slips from DUs Portal have been marked absent. Ramjas College has 50 such cases and Hindu College has so far reported 25 such cases.
Awarded Zero
Many students have been awarded zero in exams which were held in the open book examination mode. According to students quoted by Hindustan Times, it is not possible to achieve zero marks in a test where they were allowed to refer to their books.
Previous Examinations
These issues are not new to the OBE mode but have been part of the erratic evaluation procedure of the university for a long time now. According to a Hindustan Times report, the University is planning to resolve these issues in three days time according to the Dean of examinations. Students have been left in a lurch as they can only apply for re-evaluation now. Many have taken admission in PG courses and have paid huge amounts of fees. Such erratic results have cast a shadow of uncertainty on their future.
