Row over new norms on exam writers for visually impaired

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 21

Visually impaired students of the HPU are in fix as the institute is flouting the Centre’s guideline regarding writers for such students during examinations.

There is no condition regarding the academic qualification of writers in the guidelines issued by the Centre on February 23, 2013, but the new guidelines issued on August 29, 2018, put a rider that the qualification of the writers should be one standard below that of these students.

Students said it was difficult for them to find writers whose qualification was one class less. A student, Aditya Nath Tiwari, has challanged the guidelines in the Delhi HC, pleading that these would create problems for such students.

The Delhi High Court directed the examining bodies to prepare panels of writers and follow the old guidelines till the panels are constituted. Consequently, the UGC issued guidelines to all universities in February 2019 in compliance with the High Court orders.

However, the HPU posted the new guidelines on the website which stated that the writer engaged should be a junior.

The nodal officer for persons with disability Ajay Srivastava said only the Registrar could give information as he was on a vacation when the guidelines were approved and posted on the website.