Varsity students continue to demand online exams in Pakistan

As secondary students begin to return to school, university students continue to fret about being asked to physically sit exams when universities reopen on February 1.

Related hashtags trended on Twitter Tuesday, with students of several universities sharing their concerns.

Posts about students not feeling well and testing positive for coronavirus were quite common.

Yesterday a student in our school demanded for online exam as he wasn’t feeling okay. Today he tested positive for COVID-19. God knows how many students he interacted with. Who is going to be held responsible for this???#StudentsDemandOnlineExams

— maida (@maiddaaaa_) January 19, 2021

A few voices pointed out that those crying out for online exams were using the pandemic as an excuse since it made it easier to cheat.

#StudentsRejectPhysicalExams#StudentsWantOlineExams so these dumb dumbs can cheat. They don't care about corona. pic.twitter.com/gzs69A3TsJ

— . (@azaadpanchiee) January 18, 2021

Several universities are pressing ahead with schedules, reassuring strict implementation of all SOPs. National University of Modern Languages released its date sheet Tuesday. Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi reiterated its exam policies while students protested outside the campus.

Shahzad Yunas Sheikh, a PTI worker from Faisalabad, has been active in sharing protest updates on Twitter. Sheikh shared videos of student protestors marching to the Lahore Governor House. Around half of the participants were seen wearing face masks less than a feet apart from each other.

Students' March to Lhr Governor House #StudentsRejectPhysicalExams pic.twitter.com/UTn5L4LFql

— Shahzad Yunas Sheikh (@ShahzadYunasPTI) January 18, 2021

On Tuesday, Punjab School Education Minister Murad Raas welcomed students back to schools and assured everyone that all possible safety measures were being taken. Unlike last year, students won’t be promoted without examination, he announced.