The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) in Meghalaya has sought postponement of the upcoming final semester examination of NEHU.
The Garo Hills Zone of the organization has written to the PVC of the NEHU’s Tura campus seeking postponement of the examination due to the devastating impact by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Objection to the holding of the exam comes after the NEHU website stated that the exam would be held on the 3rd week of September according to guidelines issued by the UGC.
The organization mentioned various reasons for the postponement, the primary one being spread of the pandemic.
“The entire world is under lockdown in order to avoid spread of the deadly disease. In our own state, community transmission has already started, taking the number of cases beyond 1,000, with some even losing their lives. We feel that conducting an examination during this pandemic is of great risk,” said FKJGP general secretary Raksrang Sangma.
Further, they cited the vast syllabus that could not be completed with a month’s preparation.
“Classes for the 6th semester started on February 2020 and imposition of nationwide lockdown began on March 24, 2020. It is obvious that the syllabus for 6th semester students cannot be completed in one month’s time.
“Though there are online classes, due to the imposition of lockdown, students from various places returned to their native places where network connection is either very slow or nil. There are students who cannot afford smart phones and are not technology-friendly either,” added Rohit Marak, chairman of the FKJGP’s TGC Cell.
Lastly, the NGO pointed out that there were many students who hailed from containment zones and even from Assam.
“The question is whether the students from these areas will appear in the exam or go for quarantine. Looking at the crises, we urge upon you to postpone the upcoming final semester exam,” urged the NGO in their letter.