‘Waiting For Another Wave?’ AKTU Students Demand Online Semester Exams Amid Rising Omicron Cases

#AktuOnlineExam, #PostponeSemesterExam: In an official communique, AKTU, had earlier announced to conduct semester examinations from December 28 to January 15.

Updated: December 16, 2021 5:19 PM IST

By India.com News Desk | Edited by Surabhi Shaurya

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New Delhi: As the new Omicron strain is spreading quickly across the country, students of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) have launched a Twitter campaign demanding varsity authorities to conduct semester exams online. Students have claimed that holding offline exams amid the growing threat of the Omicron variant of coronavirus may put their life at risk. For the unversed, AKTU in an official communique had earlier announced to conduct semester examinations from December 28 to January 15.

But as Omicron cases witnessed a sudden rise, the AKTU students’ union asked candidates to intensify the demand for online exams. “Please tweet more and more for your own safety from COVID-19 third wave. If u want that AKTU, Lucknow should conduct an online exam then tweet + retweet + tag + use hashTag on daily basis. Show your unity guys”, the AKTU students’ union tweeted.

The students also sought the intervention of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath after the latter cautioned people over the possible threat of the third wave.

“The central and state governments are fully prepared to deal with the third wave of the corona. We have provided the best health facilities to the common man. We are taking forward the campaign of providing free tests, free vaccines, and free food grains,” the chief minister wrote on Twitter.

Quoting his tweet, a student said, “Sir many universities are conducting exams in online mode then why AKTU is not conducting exams in online mode. Sir, please give an order to AKTU university to conduct the exam in online mode for the sake of the safety of the students.”

National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Supports AKTU Students

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Shauryaveer Singh, national secretary of NSUI, said, “The government cannot suppress the voice of AKTU students demanding online exams. Till such time their demands are not met, we will continue to support them.”

#AktuOnlineExam, #PostponeSemesterExam Trend On Twitter

Taking to Twitter, students started an online campaign with hashtags #AktuOnlineExam, #PostponeSemesterExam, to make their voices heard. Some of them asked AKTU to conduct online exams like every other University in the country. Students also asserted that AKTU had conducted online exams a few months ago and now the varsity’s decision to hold online papers in the wake of ‘highly transmissible’ strain is ‘unfortunate’.

“Sir AKTU students are requesting for online exam. Now as cases are rising, I request you to kindly intervene and help students and provide them an online option for all four lakh students,” a student tweeted.

Check some other tweets here: 

Referring to MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s December 6 tweet wherein he had announced that exams at the Rajiv Gandhi Technological University would be conducted online for the convenience of students, Anubha Shrivastava Sahai, President India Wide Parents Association Lawyer and Child Rights Activist, said, “If the Madhya Pradesh government can conduct online exam to protect students, why not other state governments?. We must protect our students.”

She also said that it would be risky to conduct exams in offline mode.  “Along with students, other staff will also be exposed. Kindly rethink”, she added.

Omicron in India

India’s tally of Omicron cases climbed to 73 after several states detected fresh infections.  Following the rise in cases, a top health expert has also warned that a third wave of the COVID-19 is inevitable, thus a roadmap for booster dose should be made to protect people, especially those having comorbidities, who are immunocompromised and healthcare workers.

“We are at real, a real risk. There is a need for preparedness as the new variant is extremely infectious and it ‘evades immunity’, said Fortis Escorts Heart Institute Chairman Dr. Ashok Seth, taking note of the surge in Omicron cases across the country.

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