Staff Report Islamabad
HEC to consult universities on online exams: Shafqat Mahmood
Facing public protest demonstrations of students asking to replace exams with online assignments due to coronavirus pandemic, the government directed by Shafqat Mahmood, on Monday asked universities to consult with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to see if carrying online examinations was possible given the “special circumstances”.
In a series of midnight tweets, Shafqat Mahmood while taking note of the students’ demands said: “This is a decision for the universities to make but I have asked HEC to consult VCs and see if it is possible given special circumstances this year.”
Some university students are demanding that their exams should be online as they have been studying online. This is a decision for the universities to make but I have asked HEC to consult VCs and see if it is possible given special circumstances this year. 1/2
— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) January 25, 2021
“It is also necessary to ensure that online exam system is not misused to get easy grades. Preparing good question papers/ assessment is important” he added.
Some university students are demanding that their exams should be online as they have been studying online. This is a decision for the universities to make but I have asked HEC to consult VCs and see if it is possible given special circumstances this year. 1/2
— Shafqat Mahmood (@Shafqat_Mahmood) January 25, 2021
His tweets come as students objecting for a week now say they attended online classes during the last year due to the pandemic and wanted to be examined online as well.
They also insist that universities had not finished the syllabi of different courses but now the institute’s administrations were pushing for exams.
The protesting students also called for a cut in tuition fees since they did not attend classes in person and said that boarding schools should not be selling for lodging or meals.
In December, educational institutions across the country were shut and exams postponed to curb new coronavirus infections and a rise in the number of people in hospitals with coronavirus-related complications.
The decision to close institutions, officials had said, was based on an increase in the rate of positive test results in the country. The rate of people testing positive in June was as high as 23 percent but dropped to a low of 1.7 percent by September before surging again in October.
More than 19 percent of new cases were from educational institutions, where the rate of positive results had nearly doubled in one week to reach 3.3 percent, officials said at the time.
PROTESTS:
The PSC later tweeted that Zubair and some other students were “critically injured and have been taken to ICU [intensive care unit]” after they were allegedly baton-charged by police.
However, police denied reports of baton-charge. Saddar Division Superintendent of Police (Operations) Hafeezur Rehman Bugti said police “have not tortured [any students], and will not torture”.
