About 1,500 to 2,000 odd students enrolled in DElEd course, a mandatory course for youngsters aspiring for a teaching job in the primary level schools, have been left fuming as they had been asked to write their papers physically instead of online.
The SCERT(State Council of Education Research and Training), controller of their course, through a notification, had asked the students to appear for exams beginning on November 16 next. The students, however, questioned the move and argued, when students of all other courses–Degree, Masters and other professional courses were being conducted online as to why they were being treated as an exceptional case at a time when Covid 19 numbers are increasing across the country.
“The students of all other courses are being offered the privilege of writing their papers online. The motive behind the move is to minimise the threat of Covid 19 spread. Whereas, only the SCERT is conducting the papers offline. We have approached the SCERT but they refused to hear us. On October 28 last, we met the joint director of the school education department. He advised us to come once again On November 02 and thus we are here”, Subhajit Datta told reporters during their mass deputation at Siksha Bhavan on Monday.
About a hundred aspiring teachers gathered in front of the Siksha Bhavan demanding their right to write papers online. Director school education UK Chakma gave a hearing to a delegation from the students and said that he would discuss the matter with the education minister. “The education minister is out of state. As soon as he comes back, a solution of the matter will be there”, the director said to have told the students.
Earlier, the SCERT refused to hear the students and informed them they did not have the required gadgets and tools to hold an online exam. Some of the students even alleged that they were mocked by the SCERT top-brass who criticised their demand arguing that they (students) wanted to write their papers effortlessly copying from study materials if the exams were conducted online.
However, the students confronted the claims saying, had this been the case as to why their scheduled exams were not conducted in June, July or some other month and the SCERT deferred the exams for 4 long months which was a great loss for the students.
