Amid CAA protest, JNU students asked to write exams via e-mail, WhatsApp

JNUSU President shared one such instance as she circulated a screenshot of an e-mail undersigned by Pravesh Kumar of the International studies department.

To resolve the issue of boycott of examinations by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students, the administration has been sending question papers to them on e-mail and asking them to submit the answer script through e-mail or WhatsApp.

JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh here on Tuesday shared one such instance as she circulated a screenshot of an e-mail undersigned by Pravesh Kumar of the International studies department.

"Please find the attached question paper for the course titled "Indian Political system" for the monsoon semester," the e-mail read. "Please send you answer script by December 21 either through e-mail or scanned copy through WhatsAap," Kumar added.

Although the authenticity of the mail couldn't be verified, but in the status report, shared by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on the JNU issue, confirmed that the varsity had decided to use this method for maximum examination participation by students.

"The course in-charge will provide the questions/assignments, etc, through e-mail to students and specify date and time of the submission of the answer scripts/assignments through e-mail or photo image of the answer scripts through WhatsApp/e-mail or can hand over the hard copy of the answer script personally to the course in-charge or the school dean's office within three days," the report read.

Meanwhile, the JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) refusing to participate in this "farcical and illegal exercise" has said the deans of schools had no power under the statutory provisions to direct centres or individual faculty to conduct examinations through such an alternative system.

"Examinations and evaluation are governed by the ordinances of the university which in turn derive their legitimacy from the statutes. Doing what is being prescribed by the deans would be in violation of these ordinances and therefore illegal," said JNUTA president D.K. Lobiyal and secretary Surajit Mazumdar in a joint comminique.

Conducting examinations in the prescribed way would make a complete mockery of our commitment to maintaining high academic standards, they said and added, the JNU administration instead of indulging in such practices must focus on restoring normalcy on the campus.