SFI holds protest rallies against MHRD advisory

Opposing the Ministry of Human Resource Development's advisory asking universities to complete final semester examinations by September 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Students' Federation of India (SFI) took out protest rallies in Kolkata. The activists demonstrated at College Street and Gol Park areas demanding the withdrawal of the advisory.

Kolkata:The Students' Federation of India (SFI) on Saturday held protest rallies in Kolkata demanding that the advisory of the Ministry of Human Resource Development asking universities to complete final semester examinations by September 30 be withdrawn.

Over 200 activists of the SFI, students'' wing of the CPI(M), demonstrated at College Street and Gol Park areas during the day.

"We strongly oppose the advisory which said that examination should be held in the unlock phase. We don't think holding offline tests is possible during such a pandemic. And online tests will also be discriminatory for a large section of students. There should be other ways of evaluation," an SFI leader said.

The demonstrators also demanded that no tuition fee be taken from students of educational institutions during the lockdown period.

The body of vice-chancellors of state-run universities of West Bengal has already aired their opposition to the advisory of the MHRD which said final-year examinations in universities will have to be conducted by September-end, deferring the schedule from July in view of a spike in COVID- 19 cases.

PTI