MANUU student union demands semester extension, immediate disbursal of fellowships
By Newsmeter Network Published on 28 April 2020 1:07 PM GMT
Hyderabad: The student union of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) has written to the incharge Vice-Chancellor requesting the semester be extended till August. It also demanded the immediate and timely disbursal of fellowships to students who have been stranded due to the lockdown.
Regarding concerns about online classes, the union said a majority of the students were from small towns and rural hinterlands in the country with inadequate and insufficient Internet facilities. Streaming online lectures or even downloading pre-recorded videos or PDFs was difficult for these students.
The union further said that an online evaluation system as proposed by the university administration will create a dual differential system where students who are not able to appear for the online exams will be at a disadvantage.
Besides the semester extension, the students also suggested that “whenever exams are conducted, students be given 15 days minimum time before exams for classes.”
Immediate disbursal of fellowship
The students union demanded immediate disbursal of fellowship to students who were stranded due to the lockdown. “Various fellowships given by the UGC such as JRF and the RNGF should be disbursed constantly and regularly as a lot of students are stranded due to financial difficulties," it said, adding many students would be vulnerable without the continuation of the fellowships.
Earlier, in the wake of a nationwide lockdown, the students’ body of the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU) in Hyderabad had also demanded the exams be rescheduled to the last week of May. The request came as the varsity administration decided to go ahead with its decision to stick to the existing academic calendar and conduct exams as per schedule.
The students also demanded an extension for submission of dissertations and sought alternative arrangements for the physically disabled students and those who don’t have access to laptops to take online exams.
