Open House: Do you think students should get an option to choose between offline & online mode of exams?

Offline classes better any day

Last year, board exam results were announced without any formal examinations having been held. This year there is the situation where we want to hold examinations without the formal completion of syllabi of various subjects. The Supreme Court also dismissed the plea to cancel offline board exams. In fact schools/colleges have already reopened and are functioning like normal. You see children on roads and in playgrounds. School buses are plying like they used to. Classrooms are once again vibrant with student activity. In this scenario, the question of providing option between the online and offline makes hardly any sense. As a matter of fact, this demand is sourced in some vested interests of private schools and not the students who always enjoy the competitive spirit. This is not to suggest that board examinations need not grade their questions to target the mediocre and the meritorious. The question papers must be flawless and evaluation-based. However, asking for online examinations is to miss the challenge and beauty of traditional teaching.

Prof Mohan Singh

QUESTION

The delay in evacuation of Indian students (many from Punjab) from strife-torn Ukraine has not gone down well with parents. Do you think the govt should have been more proactive in dealing with the issue to reduce students’ ordeal and avoid unnecessary panic?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to [email protected] by Thursday (March 3)

No point in holding online exams

As educational institutions have been opened now owing to drop in Covid cases, there is no point of holding online exams. It’s been two years that students are studying from online mode. Due to this, they have completely lost their discipline in life. This will unfortunately going to spoil their future classes as they could not go through fundamental concepts of earlier classes. Most of the time, they were devoid from manual classrooms even when situation were under control. Last month, huge gatherings in big fat weddings were going on, no stringent actions on people who were not wearing mask have just put a big question mark on our government. Ironically, learners gave online exams when huge gatherings of politician’s rally were justifiable. This is just disgusting and has no base. Students should not be given choice between online and offline exams but they must be compelled for offline exams. Online exams are mere formality. Education is the key foundation stone of every country so it should not be taken for granted.

Sukhmeet Kaur

Irreparable damage already done

Sadly, teachers who are to conduct the exams are still not relieved from the election duties. Approximately 2,200 teachers from government schools are deputed for election duties in our district since the past 40 days. Just imagine in their absence how much studies of the students have suffered. Due to the above stated fact many students could not complete their syllabus. Students from poor section of the society suffered a lot due to closure of schools because of Covid and afterwards due to election duty of their teachers. So, it hardly matters whether they take online or offline exams the irreparable damage has been done to the studies of students coming from economically weaker section of the society.

Nityanshi Chopra

Level of education has hit all-time low

Our education system suffered a serious setback during Covid-19 pandemic. Schools and colleges had to be closed for an indefinite period. Students almost stopped learning. To save the academic year of students online education system was adopted as a crisis management measure. As position of pandemic did not improve much even at the end of the year, it was not possible to conduct examinations offline. The authorities, therefore, had to make arrangements for giving online examinations to the students. The students liked online examination system very much because they got ample opportunity for copying in it. They cleared the examinations without much effort. Already dwindling level of education has touched all time low. The resultant situation does not allow offering students an option to choose between online and offline examination. They should appear in offline mode only.

Gurdeep Singh Bhutani

Online exams mockery of education system

In my opinion students should appear in offline examination as online examinations are nothing short of cheating and are a mockery of the education system. The Covid situation is presently under control in the state. Schools have been reopened, elections have been concluded, markets, marriage palaces, coaching centres et al have been allowed to do business, and then why schools can’t conduct offline examination. Online learning has not been quite effective as most of the households don’t have access to the internet. The brilliant and bright students are the sufferers as all and sundry are making merry in online examinations which have spoiled the reading and learning habits of the students. Offline examination can’t be substituted with online examination. As a matter of fact there is no question of choosing between online and offline examination as offline examination has intrinsic worth and fundamental need as an integral part of educational system. It equips the young learners with the intellectual potential and provides an incentive to work hard, enthusiasm and drive to study and an opportunity for emulation. Online examination can’t hone the ability, skill, interest, aptitude and temperament of students. Offline exams on the other hand have diagnostic as well as prognostic value. Hence, the institutions concerned should conduct offline examination and students should appear in that without any grudge. Those who are opposing offline examination don’t want to take pain and want to excel only via online examination which is as easy and effortless. As doubting Thomases are moving freely from place to place throwing Covid guidelines to the wind, why they are afraid of sitting in the examination in classrooms?

Tarsem S Bumrah

Students not adaptive to remote teaching

The education system has suffered a lot due to Covid pandemic. As schools have reopened students should appear in offline classes with precaution measures. The biggest hazard in online classes is teachers can’t assure if students are paying attention or not because students in India is somewhere not adaptive to remote teaching. Though teachers put all their efforts in online classes but the age group of 4 to 13 years (kindergarten and elementary classes) faces issue in attending online classes, they can’t be much attentive during online classes. I think for studies competitive, disciplined environment is important that can be possible through their academic institutions. In Covid situation, only 20 per cent students had access to remote education and 38 per cent of households from which at least one child dropped out school. So reopening of schools is kind of beneficial for students.

Arshpreet Kaur

Pupils should have freedom to choose

Students should be given an option of choice between offline and online mode of examination. But more important factor in the forthcoming examination is the pending syllabus of the all classes, which is causing lot of stress and strain to the students. This happened due to closure of school during Covid pandemic and absences of teachers during election duties. This invites the immediate and serious attention of the authorities concerned. So either question papers should be set on reduced syllabus or the pending syllabus should be carried forward to the next class. Hope authorities concerned would pay attention to this to relieve young minds from the avoidable stress.

Naresh Johar

Let students decide what is best for them

Although most schools have reopened but corona virus has not gone. Its danger is still persisting. So, in this scenario precautions needs to be taken. Those students who have got vaccination dose should appear in offline examination. In other case students should certainly be given option to choose between offline and online mode. Moreover, schools taking offline examination should strictly adhere to Covid-19 protocols. Social distancing between students should be maintained, made and proper sanitisation of school premises, including classrooms and students, should be done.

SANJAY CHAWLA

Leave it to childen, don’t force decision

Many countries around the world are slowly reducing the Covid-19 restrictions but still the pandemic is not over yet. I believe that students must be given the option to choose between the online and offline modes for their examinations. Many parents might still be apprehensive about their children’s health and would not want to take any risks. In case that physical presence of students is necessary, it must be ensured that regulations are followed strictly so that the spread of virus can be contained to the maximum extent.

JATINDERPAL SINGH BATTH

Students’ safety must be a top priority

As the Covid cases have started to decline, most schools have resorted to the beginning of physical classes. It will raise the morale of the students, who could not get more class time during the pandemic. The students are divided in their opinions of giving the final examination in online or offline mode. In my opinion, the school examinations should be conducted offline. Conducting exams online gives false hopes to the students and they cannot get out of their slumbers. Proper health facilities and assistance should be set up in the schools for the conduction of offline exams. As the curriculum is not yet over in most schools, the students should be given benefit and some leniency in examination checking should be observed. It is rightly said, “Sound mind resides in sound body.”

NIMISH SEHGAL

Pen and paper mode exam more suitable

The education system has undergone a radical transformation globally due to the technological development and digitalisation. India’s New Education Policy 2020 (NEP) lays stress on the dual mode of online and offline education to enhance its gross enrolment rate (GER), deliver quality education and provide ample employment opportunities to the youth. Many competitive exams such as CAT, GATE, JEE are also conducted online with multiple choice questions. During the Covid-19 pandemic, educational institutions across the country started online classes. Now that the Covid wave has subsided, several schools want to hold the final examinations online only. As compared to the offline mode, they deem it to be easily manageable, environment friendly, time-saving and cost effective. But this decision has drawn a mixed response from the parents, teachers and students. Those who oppose it call it a futile exercise. It is not the real test of the knowledge and cognitive skills of students; students do not take their studies seriously and answer questions with the help of books sitting at home. Moreover, subjects like literature and language, maths, economics and science are difficult to attempt online. Because students do not get weary, worn-out and stressed with hours of constant staring at the screen of laptops or smart phones, the pen and paper mode of examination is far more suitable in the present Indian scenario.

Simran & Tajpreet S Kang

Online examination prone to cheating

With the decline in the number Covid-19 cases in Punjab and elsewhere, exams should be held offline with the presence of students in the examination room. There should be no choice between the two ways of exams. Online exams will not be foolproof and there can be cheating also. The students may not be studying sincerely in case they have to appear in online exams. Now even the children between the ages of 10 to 12 have been made eligible for vaccinations. That would prevent the spread of the virus. Opinion of the parents of the children should be taken into account and then the final decision should be taken. In the last month of the year 2019, therefore called Covid-19, when the virus put its footprint in the world and appeared in India in March 2020.Curfew was imposed hurriedly and all the schools and colleges were closed. Teaching was done online in many schools the exams were done away with and students promoted to the next class. They must have ignored their studies. If things go on like this, then they will not only be unemployed but also unemployable. Therefore the government and the education authorities should be serious implementing offline examinations and not indulge in online examinations.

Dr JS Wadhwa

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