Masum Billah :
All forms of educational institutions have seen closure due to corona pandemic for about fifteen months. In the primary and secondary level the government has tried to introduce some academic activities through Sangsad TV and radio even though questions arise regarding its effectiveness and the percentage of students it could have reached out. But twenty six hundred colleges under National University where about 44 lac students study and running 49 public universities have not adopted any plan or work to mitigate the learning loss of the students. Private universities are smarter enough in this regard and the better private universities started conducting online classes immediately after the declaration of closure in March 2020. They started taking examinations also online but the UGC stopped their effort. Probably UGC did not want to create discrimination between public and private universities. Private university pupils would graduate earlier than public universities if they were allowed to hold online examination. Discrimination between public and private universities already exists in terms of tuition fee, teachers’ accountability and smartness, students’ using modern devices and language proficiency. Most teachers of public universities are brilliant enough but many of them don’t continue their study as they get themselves busy with managing student leaders, teacher politics, tender and many other non-academic works. They have hardly any accountability to the authorities and students that is fully done in private universities.
Though late, UGC’s thought of minimizing the loss of the students and forming committee to find out ways calls for appreciation. On 06 May UGC had a meeting with the VCs following where UGC released the fact that semester and year final examinations could be conducted online. The academic council of the universities concerned will take final decision regarding this matter. However, they will have to give priority to the seven-point guideline of the UGC. The matter will be now sent to the ministry of education for releasing it as office order. Due to long closure of educational institutions, two semester examinations did not take place. And within one or two months another semester is waiting to be held. On the other hand, the climbing rate of corona and its uncertain journey have impelled the UGC to allow the public universities to conduct the cancelled exams online. However, if any university does not want to conduct it online, they have that freedom. They can run the exams after the restoration of normal situation. This is, of course, the honour of UGC towards university autonomy.
Universities will have to hold online examinations adopting the methods and guidelines of six points keeping pace with practical situation such as uninterrupted electricity and internet connection and its speed, digital device tools, setting questions, foiling unfair means and acceptability of the results globally. According to proposal following four methods any theoretical subject and not necessary to work in hand and pen of such practical subject final number/grading can be given by taking test online. Examples are creative works, creative quiz/MCQ of different set of questions, class test and viva-voce. The proposal also says that the video of different experiments of practical class to be uploaded on departmental website and the full data to be sent to the email of students. Students will analyze this data and a short report to be developed for sending it to the teachers. Thesis/ project work which is not based on laboratory work can be supervised online. After receiving the thesis/project hardcopy viva-voce can be taken online. The Ministry of Education and ICT Ministry can jointly ensure the access to internet and its satisfactory speed in remotest parts of the country.
However, it is learnt that the University of Dhaka has decided to conduct online examinations conforming to the decision of UGC that sounds encouraging and might be a good example for other universities. It is greatly felt that the whole arrangement must be up to a global standard otherwise the graduates produced through this test may have to face problems in future and to manage jobs. Dhaka University will start conducting online examinations from first July (2021) if the situation of corona does not improve. On 5 May it was decided in the dean committee. The decision was accepted by the academic council just the following day. The VC has already asked the deans of different faculties and the directors of institutes to develop a strategic paper on how to conduct the whole thing. Teachers will receive training on how to conduct online examinations that also sounds very good. Public university teachers either through training or of their own accord must acquire the skills of using online devices otherwise they will not be able to face the challenges lying ahead and to keep pace with the education of the current world.
(Masum Billah works for BRAC Education and President- English Teachers’ Association of Bangaldesh. Email: [email protected])
