Mumbai University's IDOL exams hit by glitch

Technical trouble forced MU to postpone Tuesdays exam; students unions to change the technology service provider

Mumbai University's Institute of Distance & Open Learning (IDOL) had to postpone Tuesday's online exam midway due to technical glitches. The authorities took the decision when hundreds of students thronged IDOL's building at MU's Kalina campus after they could not appear for the examination.

IDOL was holding exams for the third year students of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce, and around 9,000 candidates had registered. IDOL has also cancelled Wednesday's exam.

Cyber attack

"IDOL's final year online exam server has faced cyber attack due to which there are technical glitches. Papers scheduled on October 6 and 7 are thus postponed and new dates will be announced soon. Meanwhile, university is to file a complaint regarding the cyber attack on server," read a statement from IDOL.

As this was the second such incident, students' unions from MU are demanding detailed enquiry into the technology service provider. Some have even demanded that examinations be put on hold until a better service provider is hired.

Final year students of all universities across Maharashtra are taking exams online due to the pandemic. On the first day of the examination last week, several students could not answer their paper due to technical glitches, and IDOL decided to give them another chance.

"This is extremely frustrating for the final year students who are already under stress.

Also Read: Mumbai colleges rely on technology to prevent copying during final-year online exams

Second such glitch

IDOL's online exams began on October 3 and since then, students are facing constant technical glitches. We demand an enquiry in this matter and the guilty should be punished as the future of thousands of students is at stake," said Pradeep Sawant, MU senate member from Yuva Sena, which has written a letter to the Maharashtra education minister.

Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) has demanded that exams be stopped until MU changes the technology service provider. "The distressed students, who gathered at the IDOL building in Kalina on Tuesday, were uncontrollable. The second such glitch shows the technology being used by the university is not good. MU should terminate the present service," said Santosh Gangurde, MNVS state vice president.

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