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?"
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"Even if we manage to get broadband internet, what is the guarantee that there won't be any clampdown on the internet during those three hours in my area," she said.
Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Dr Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, meanwhile, expressed their concerns for the Kashmiri students of the university.
While Abdullah termed Jamia's decision of conducting online examinations as "university's detachment from ground reality', Mufti requested the university to "look for alternatives."
"Decision to go for the online exam in Jammu and Kashmir reflects Jamia Millia Islamia's detachment from the ground reality here, where 2G speed and a frequent clampdown on the internet is a norm. The order is elitist, defeats inclusiveness that JMI stood for the past 100 years. Revisit now," Abdullah said in a statement issued by National Conference spokesperson.
Mufti while demanding concessions to students from the region tweeted, "Jamia University's decision to hold exams in proctored online mode which requires laptops and high-speed data for three hours is deeply problematic for students hailing from Jammu and Kashmir. Request them to look for alternatives so that these bright minds don't suffer. (SIC)".
