We reject Jamia Millia Islamia administration's move to conduct online Proctored Examination decision as,

1. It will be highly exclusionary for students coming from backward areas as well as those coming from the economically weaker background who might not be able to afford high-speed internet and devices.

2. Kashmiri students will be highly disadvantaged as 4G internet services are restricted in Kashmir by the government

3. It is next to impossible for the majority of students to have unhampered access to the high-speed Internet or even electricity within the current infrastructure of the country.

4. This decision is taken arbitrarily in a completely undemocratic manner without even informing students far from consulting them.

5. There was no notification released from the Office of the Controller of Examinations before Madam VC gave a byte regarding proctored online examinations to the press that left the students shaken up in these already distressful times. 

6. There is a lot of ambiguity and vagueness in the newspaper report. The University must immediately release a notification on its official website on how they are planning to make their impractical and implausible ideas a reality.

7. More than 60% of students couldn’t even attend online classes (care to check the class attendance), and authorities are expecting them to take online examinations. How on the earth does this even make sense? 

8. The reality of internet connectivity in India is known to everyone and this isn’t limited to the students of J&K only. Keeping the webcams switched on during the exam is utterly impractical. What are we supposed to do- write answers or keep rejoining the web meet again and again?

9. Most of the students are living with their families right now and everyone doesn’t have the privilege of privacy. In such a scenario, when a student is already juggling up with a plethora of challenges, no university should force the students to take examinations in these highly exclusionary ways. 

10. As Madam VC plans to bring advanced technology to conduct examinations, JMI administration must at least care to know the accessibility of the technological devices to the students who come from diverse strata. Proctored online examinations create a huge divide, thus accessible and alternative measures must be adopted for the left-out and less-privileged. 

11. Other universities have taken alternative and conducive measures for semester evaluation. The University of Delhi has chosen the option of Open Book Examinations while AMU is taking assignments and Viva (leaving it to the decision of faculty members). JMI administration must also look into the reality of our times and students, and reconsider its far-fetched decision.

We urge the University administration to scrap proctored online examination and look for other means like OBE method or any other means of assessment which is fair and non exclusionary.