Few takers for home tests in DU

NEW DELHI: Though most Delhi University (DU) colleges conduct annual internal examinations or house tests during the months of December and January, a majority of students do not take these tests seriously.
Says Prahlad Verma, a final year Economics (honours) student, who didn''t appear for the internal exams conducted by his college last month: "December onwards, I''ve been taking one competitive test after another to ensure an MBA seat in one of the reputed institutes.I had no energy left to take the house tests."
Officials of several colleges — particularly those located away from the north and south campus — complain that the turnout for internal exams is dismal.
While suggesting that there are no university guidelines proclaiming house tests as mandatory, Gargi college principal and dean of students'' welfare at DU, Hema Raghavan, stressed that colleges put a lot of emphasis on these tests. There is, however, a section of students who realise the significance of these tests.
Having scored reasonably well in the house tests, Anuradha Singh, a second year History (honours) student at ARSD College finds herself "more confident, psychologically" before the finals.
"It is a good indicator of where you stand in your preparation. It is for your own good that you should not skip these tests," she said.
Although she couldn''t appear for the house tests for medical reasons, Shashwita Sharma, a first year BA (pass) student at Gargi College believes that "these tests play a crucial role in your preparation for the university exams". She said the house tests offer the students — especially the first year students — an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the university''s system of examination.
Concurring with the view, St Stephens'' principal, Anil Wilson said: "House tests are all the more important for the first year students as the entire university system is foreign to them. They are new to the way of answering questions and not familiar with the evaluation process."
Revealing that house tests are compulsory for the first and second year students at his college, Wilson said: "Preparation for competitive exams keep the final year students occupied throughout the year. Hence, we have exempted them from taking the house tests."
Raghavan said that colleges retain the rights of detaining a student from appearing for the university exams if he or she had not taken the house tests without a valid reason.
At Gargi College, for instance, students are exempted from these tests only on medical grounds or in the cases of extensive preparation for competitive exams. Both Wilson and Raghavan admitted that their colleges have detained students in the past for not taking the house tests.
The common practice in most colleges though is to charge a fine — which varies from college to college, ranging between Rs 100 to Rs 500 for every paper that a student hadn''t appeared for — and allow the candidate to sit for the final exams.