Not deferring exams due to assembly polls: Calcutta University

Despite ongoing protests by a section of students, the Calcutta University on Monday announced it would stick to its stand of not deferring its final year exams of its three-year undergraduate courses scheduled amid the forthcoming Assembly polls.

"Keeping the interests of 50,000 students in mind, we are not giving in to the demands of the 100 or so students who wanted to postpone the examinations till after the polls. We are not changing the schedule," said varsity Pro-Vice Chancellor Swagata Sen.

Bengal goes to the polls from April 4 and the rest of the days of the seven-phase elections span April 11, 17, 21 and 25 and May 5.

The varsity had recently announced that it would hold the BA/BSc/BCom Part III honours exam between April 1 and April 13.

Sen asserted the schedule has been designed in such a way that it does not clash with the exam dates.

"It is not on the polling day, it is not on the day after the polling and neither it is on the day before the polls," he said.

Presenting arguments on why the varsity was adhering to the existing exam schedule, Sen said results need to be published at the right time else thousands of students who wish to apply to institutes outside the state and abroad will lose a year.

"Secondly, combining both undergraduate and postgraduate exams, teachers have to handle 24 lakh answer sheets. Since accurate evaluation is important, postponing exams may impede the process of evaluation," he said.

"Even West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi, who is the chancellor of the varsity, had said there is no logic in rescheduling exams because of elections," Sen added.

In an online petition to Vice Chancellor Sugata Marjit and the Election Commission, the students said: "We have to face our final year examination within that volatile period. The first and foremost problem is that many outsider students stay here to continue their study in Calcutta University. It will be really difficult for them to handle their examination on one hand and vote on the other hand."

Urging Marjit to postpone the entire third year examinations till after the voting process ends, the B.A/B.Sc/B.Com students have been demonstrated outside the varsity building at College Street campus with loud sloganeering since last week.

On Friday, two separate delegations of CU students met Tripathi and EC officials with the request to reschedule examinations.