Guideline 1.2 of the UGC Guidelines on Student Entitlements gives the students assurance that the 'mode & frequency of evaluation' won't be changed at the detriment of students. Additionally, it is a legitimate expectation of students that the pattern of examination will continue to be so during the entire course. However, in less than past 2 years, the exam policy has been changed by the administration twice. The first time, they removed mid sems giving a justification that such continuous evaluation is detrimental to mental health of students. The students were against it, considering the end sems answer sheets aren't shown to students, and the marking of projects and vivas is entirely in the hands of faculties. Now, on 1 Jan 2025, the admin goes back on its word and brings back continuous evaluation, with a bizarre element of 'tutorial evaluation'. It means that the tutorial classes will be evaluated. This policy was announced without even specifying how these tutorials can be evaluated. Oxford has been conducting tutorials since 15th century, and hasn't evaluated them. None of the NLUs or any institute implementing system of tutorials evaluated, according to the data collected by the Student Council of NLUO for this. Now, 40% of your marksheet is left at the whims of faculties, and you have no way to ensure that the rest 60% was marked fairly. People in 4th & 5th year have to deal with another element of evaluation when they are already preparing for competitive exams. No one in the student body signed up for this. When asked to engage in discussion as to why this decision was taken, the administration says it affects their mental health so they won't be engaging with the students. Or they come up with excuses like there are vacant seats in student council so they won't be engaging with it. When the same administration is asked to take into consideration the mental health of students, they say "if you have fragile mental health don't join the college." (The mail can be accessed here : https://www.instagram.com/p/DFHRYvKPP-R/?igsh=bXM1ZHZjMDZlOGto)

Mid sems were not removed because of mental health of students but because of 'teachers complaining about checking answer sheet all the year round'. This was the exact same reason they gave while doing away with repeat/back exams. Even as a matter of fact, ask your admin why they changed 6 days working week to 5 days working week, you will be glad to know that they reduced the number of working days because their staff wanted it.

V.R.S. needs to take a VRS (voluntary retirement scheme). Btw, what happened to that protest?

-Just a curious cat!

Why don't you guys just protest and demand the admins resignation? Or at least build some pressure on them like y'all used to back in 2019 when you forced the resignations? The current student body seems useless, there's nothing going on except for whining everywhere. Is everyone just going to sit back and let everything rot that your alumni had built? I'm sure you all are capable enough of figuring something out and doing something impactful that will make a much needed change. Gone are the days of nluo when students knew their democratic rights and fought for it relentlessly, getting their hands dirty and being an inspiration. Godspeed.

If it helps, lots of other British universities also use a tutorial system for their undergraduate students (in Cambridge, for example, they are called 'supervisions'). Nowhere are they evaluated! The most that faculty do with what observations of students they make in those settings is to use that material when writing reference letters for applications for jobs or further study.

There is a comment above, to be fair, saying that they plan to conduct a protest. I think, also, that the keyboard rage has its place too. A reasonably (among the Indian legal community) well-read (if not a very reputable) gossip blog is a good platform to let people from other unis or practitioners know what is going on, which is also a valuable thing to be doing - trashing the reputation of their administration. True, that can be more effectively done by a massive protest which the news might cover, but let us not be so harsh on the students.

If you can't protest, go on non-cooperation, attend classes but don't show up in any event. Flower show is this weekend, don't show your faces there, even members from organising committee should not go there. This is the very least you guys can do. And if you can't do this, don't even think of a protest, because that would be a recipe for disaster.

Update your socials and let people know what's going to happen. Use your student body page on various social media and share it because this is needed. People outside of this circle have to know, especially those who are planning to join. Bring back the dead accounts and make it work in your favour.

It has begun, finally. Good luck to everyone in nluo. https://www.barandbench.com/news/lawschools/nlu-odisha-students-launch-protest-over-academic-policies-lack-of-infrastructure

It is difficult for some people (example blind and partially sighted) to access Insta content because of the visual nature of the platform/stuff posted there. Someone had once posted the copy-paste of the substance of an NLUO email on this platform as typed text (like this comment). Is it possible to do that in this case as well please? Thanks!