The Delhi University’s School of Open Learning will constitute special teams to check cheating in exams. The exam centres prone to cheating will also be shunned.
Some 4,500 exam cheats were rounded up last year from over 250 exam centres, according to the university.
With over 3.5 lakh students set to take their annual exams next month, SOL’s Assistant Registrar, O P Tanwar, said the university will constitute special teams to ensure fair conduct of examinations.
He said DU’s distance learning arm is also ready with a list of blacklisted centres, where smuggling chits or study material is not uncommon. The SOL relies on government-run schools to accommodate large number of exam takers.
As per the DU norms, the examination disciplinary committee is entitled to award punishments to the exam cheats on five counts, which vary from facing exam cancellation in one paper to getting debarred from taking exams for two or more years.
But varsity officials said teachers skipping their invigilation duties is a bigger concern.
Sources said most of the SOL teachers had missed on their invigilation duties for postgraduate exams held last year, following which show cause notice were issued to them.
The SOL has adopted student-friendly measures for the forthcoming exams. Students can now download e-admit cards, and save themselves from the hassle of coming all the way to the university.
“We’re sending SMSes to the students, informing them about this new initiative,” Tanwar said.
“Study materials, audio and video lectures prepared by the SOL faculty were uploaded on the college website,” he said, adding students can have ready access to all the relevant notes before taking their exams.
Exams for Honours courses offered by the DU’s distance learning arm will start from May 7, while students enrolled for BA (Prog) will have their exams from June 3.