Srinagar: From going to relatives' place to keeping their fingers crossed that 2G internet connectivity does not deceive them, Jamia Millia Islamia's Kashmiri students have an additional set of worries regarding their online examinations scheduled from December 21.
Giving no heed to the opposition from students and teachers who had been demanding that evaluation be done based on an assignment basis, the University issued a directive that all students must take precautionary measures against the pandemic and take online exams from their homes through laptops.
Meanwhile, Jamia Millia Islamia's Kashmiri students are demanding alternative methods of examinations because of the slow (2G) internet in Jammu and Kashmir. Last year, following the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, the high-speed internet (4G) was banned in the region since then. Also, the students are confined to their homes following their return from Delhi given the outbreak of pandemic in March, this year.
"We do not have high-speed internet services here. We only know how we are managing our assignments on slow (2G) internet," Iqra Imtiyaz, a third-year student at Jamia Millia Islamia, told ETV Bharat on the phone.
Iqra, who is a resident of south Kashmir's Pulwama district, believes it would have been better if the examination would have been held on an assignment basis.
"South Kashmir is a sensitive area and suspension of internet services here is a routine affair due to various reasons. Wi-Fi internet is not available everywhere. I had to travel to my relatives' place in Srinagar for submitting an assignment during last semester," she said, adding, "Besides, it is very cold here right now and it can snow anytime, electricity is scarce these days. How can we sit for examination under these circumstances?"