Nagpur University has officially begun the process of rescheduling all its regular winter examinations that were scheduled to be held between January 14 and 16. This decisive move comes in direct response to the announcement of civic body elections and follows persistent concerns raised by the student community.
Election Duty and Festival Clash Force University's Hand
The primary catalyst for the rescheduling is the large-scale deployment of teaching and non-teaching staff for election duty. Deputy registrar Manish Zodpe, currently holding charge of the university's examination section, explained that conducting exams smoothly on polling days would be practically impossible. A majority of college and university staff are required for poll responsibilities, which include deployment, voting, sealing, and depositing election material, often keeping them engaged from early morning until late evening.
Compounding the logistical nightmare, many college buildings themselves are designated as polling centres and will be unavailable for examinations. "In such circumstances, expecting the same staff to conduct examinations on the same day is neither feasible nor fair," Zodpe stated.
This decision also addresses an earlier grievance from students who had objected to holding exams on January 14, as it coincides with the popular Makar Sankranti festival. While the university had initially retained the date due to an already delayed schedule, the election announcement provided a compelling reason for the shift.
Untangling a Web of Exam Clashes
The situation was further complicated by a separate issue of timetable overlaps. Several regular examination papers were found to be clashing with backlog (arrears) examinations scheduled on the same dates and time slots. This had triggered protests and formal representations from various student groups, adding pressure on the administration to find a solution.
Zodpe clarified that the rescheduling exercise will be focused and precise. Only the examinations clashing with the civic poll dates will be moved. The existing schedule for undergraduate winter exams, set to begin from December 22, will remain unaffected. Similarly, postgraduate examinations, slated to start from January 16, are also outside the immediate scope of this change, unless they fall on the impacted dates.
Revised Timetable Awaited, Relief for Students
The university's examination department is now actively working on creating a revised timetable. "We shall release the revised timetables in one or two days," assured Deputy Registrar Zodpe. He added that the process requires careful adjustment to accommodate both regular and backlog examinations without creating new overlaps.
The university is expected to issue an official notification shortly, which will provide much-needed clarity and relief to thousands of students appearing for the crucial winter session examinations. The move is seen as a necessary step to ensure fair conduct of both the democratic process and the academic evaluations, while also respecting the cultural significance of the festival.
