CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Dr. Sumarbin Umdor, Professor and Controller of Examinations (In-Charge) at North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), has raised serious concerns about the impact of the ongoing crisis and pervasive uncertainties on NEHU’s ability to conduct postgraduate and select undergraduate exams. He highlighted that the lack of a formal academic calendar has disrupted exam scheduling—a challenge that, according to Dr. Umdor, could have been mitigated with more effective planning
“The postgraduate students on campus and some of the undergraduate programmes, like the SOT (School of Technology) Engineering offered here, face a lot of uncertainty,” Dr. Umdor stated. “Unfortunately, till date, we don’t have the academic calendar.”
Typically, an academic calendar is established at the start of each academic session, enabling structured exam planning and providing clarity for students and faculty alike. Dr. Umdor highlighted the critical nature of this document: “Usually, every university has an academic calendar at the start of the session. Without it, I, as Controller of Examinations, cannot schedule exams. I need to know when we open, when we close; that has not been done. With the current uncertainty, it’s unlikely to happen soon. Last year, we postponed many exams due to opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP). I don’t want to keep postponing exams this year as well.”
He further expressed concern over the stress caused to students and faculty by the lack of classes due to ongoing agitation. “This puts a lot of stress on the students,” he said. “Currently, with the agitation, we haven’t had classes for several days, and in this environment, no one is in the right mindset for learning or teaching.”
When asked about the planned schedule for exams, Dr. Umdor replied, “Exams are scheduled according to the academic calendar. Unfortunately, we don’t have one as of now, and we’re already in the middle of the year. Until an academic calendar is provided, we cannot set exam dates.”
Dr. Umdor clarified that the absence of an academic calendar is not due to the current student agitation. “No, it’s not related to the agitation,” he said. “The academic calendar should have been in place long ago, as it allows people to plan their year.”
As for when exams are likely to occur, Dr. Umdor indicated that this depends on the resolution of the ongoing agitation and feedback from various departments. “If the agitation ends tomorrow, we can resume classes and assess syllabus coverage. We’ll then take a collective decision with the Deans and the Vice-Chancellor.”
Semester exams for NEHU’s 80-plus affiliated colleges have commenced, and the Vocational Training Course exams under NEP 2020 are scheduled to begin on November 16.
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