Gandhinagar: Indian Institute of Teachers Education (IITE) has successfully completed entire process of examination in physical presence of students amid Covid-19 lockdown nationwide with the use of technology, preventive methods against pandemic and social distancing.

IITE is University with 59 government and grant-in-aid affiliated colleges across Gujarat. It runs various courses for teacher education such as B Ed, BSc – BEd, B A – B ED, B ED-M ed, M ed, M Sc, M Ed, M Phil and Ph D.

The institute had to fill 3384 seats for admission season of year 2020, against which 11003 applications were received. This number of candidates would require IITE to go for 30 exam centres, however due to pandemic situation and requirement of social distancing, 135 centres were identified and arranged. The centres were finalized for the exam after analysing the center choice filling data. The University ensured that students’ travel to the exam center was minimum in the times of COVID-19.Students were given the options to choose from the centers closer to their homes.

University’s Vice Chancellor Harshad Patel says, ‘whatever centre was selected by minimum 10 applicants was approved. The choice of selection given to applicants was so wide that each one would have a centre nearby. In the time of pandemic this was necessary.’

More than 9900 students downloaded hall tickets through ERP system.

IITE coordinated with the State Examination Board and district administrations and conducted exams on 2nd August in which 9,331 students appeared. As per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Human Resource Development, all measures and standard operating procedures were implemented. Such as, only 12 candidates per block, 2 meter physical distance between two candidates, temperature check using thermal guns at entry, face shield, mask and sanitizer provided to each candidate and block supervisors, hand gloves for invigilators. IITE had made 12,000 kits for exam candidates. The staff of IITE worked tirelessly to make and distribute the kits.

‘Making kits and distributing them would add extra cost to examination process, but finally it’s for good of students. I had travelled to Delhi by air during Covid19 pandemic, and I was given kit in the plane. Looking at that kit, I decided that physical examination of IITE will have provision of such kits,’ Patel said.

Admit Card was made available to the applicants on 30thJuly on website of IITE. It was tracked continuously and at nearly 6 time intervals SMS were sent to the applicants It was ensured that almost 100% applicants download their Admit Card It signifies that proper management always makes it possible Continuous SMS reminders to the applicants for 4 days for downloading their Admit Card for appearing in the entrance examination.

A Covid-19 positive student Dhruv Sanchania didn’t want to waste his academic year and wanted to appear in exam at any cost. He had prepared for the exam but he was detected Covid positive just two days before the exam. He sent his Covid positive report to IITE Vice Chancellor Harshad Patel and requested that he wanted to appear in exam. Patel searched Dhruv’s details from the database of applicants and confirmed his request was genuine. Patel then consulted with State Education Board, district administration and department of health in order to find a way to give Dhruv Sanchania an opportunity to sit in exam. Finally, a new schedule was made and a Covid-19 infected applicant was handed over question papers in a sealed cover through doctors and medical staff. Dhruv was taken to a separate room of Covid care centre where he appeared for exam. Dhruv has successfully sailed through and he has got good score too. Management Guru N. Raghuraman has recognized and appreciated IITE initiative as a case study.

When asked what was the compulsion to arrange physical examination and not online exams, Harshad Patel replied, ‘IITE had completed its internal examinations of different semesters through online and open book system successfully during pandemic however online exam would require net connectivity for over ten thousand applicants, training sessions like they offer for JEE and NEET. Therefore physical exam’s option was selected and it was permitted as per the guideline issued by the Centr on July 6.’

When asked about the experience of holding online semester exams of IITE students, Patel sharing the details said, ‘On 16 March, in view of pandemic situation, we asked students to vacate the hostels and return home. Their prelim exam was pending however. We decided to go for online exams. We approached Ahmedabad’s Navrangpura post office and sought their cooperation. We also prepared a data base of around 1100 students who were to give exams. A kit of answer papers, five pens, pencils, rubber and ruler was sent to each student by speed post. Rehearsal for prelim exam was done through Google Classroom. Students would write papers, take photo and upload them.’

Speaking on open book final exam, IITE conducted during pandemic, Patel said, ‘Paper setters were emailed to modify their ready question papers to suit openbook method. Students had to register on openbook portal. Three mock exercised were provided to students. Openbook format would not have connectivity or data consumption related issues at student’s end. The students were given four-hour time to write paper, take photo, do scanning, make single PDF and upload on portal. 95 per cent students could do this. Others were given email option for a time being. There was zero dropout. IITE conducted exam of each semester, while mandate was given only to conduct final semester exam. Even the assessment of papers was digital. Those assessing the papers were given particular time to check particular section. Monitoring was online in real-time.

DeshGujarat