Row over DU economics paper for visually impaired
NEW DELHI: In yet another examination gaffe at Delhi University, the microeconomics paper, specially set for visually-impaired first-year BCom (H) students, turned out to be unsuitable. Also, some questions that were common to both sets of papers, had fewer marks allotted to them in the one for the visually-impaired.
A few weeks ago, visually-impaired students had requested the Equal Opportunity Cell for a separate set of questions for them that did not require them to draw or read graphs and diagrams. The EOC had forwarded the request to the exam branch, which forwarded it to the departments framing the questions. In this case, it was the department of commerce.

"The paper they were given had questions that ask for diagrams and don't even give the candidate a choice," argues a teacher. In DU, visually impaired students write exams with the help of writers. "You can dictate text but not a graph or diagram," says the teacher. This question paper asked students to "explain and draw [an] indifference curve," "derive the demand curve from the price consumption curve" etc.
"Then," continues the teacher, "The same questions carry fewer marks in the case of VI students. Question 3(a) for VI carries five marks but much the same question for the rest carries 7.5." In another case, a 7.5 marker for sighted candidates became a 2.5 marker for the VI. "Due to this, students had to write a lot and lost most of the extra time."

The commerce department concedes the problem was with only one question. Kavita Sharma, convener, examinations, for the department, says she "got a call from the university about one question and it was replaced in 10 minutes". "I informed the exam branch and they would've relayed it to the centres. I asked the paper-setter for extra questions as well but no one called me," says Sharma. Teachers at one college say they didn't get any replacement question.



Interestingly, exam branch officials says they didn't receive any complaint at all. "The students had asked for separate questions. We forwarded that to the department and they set a separate paper. We have no say in the kind of questions framed," says an official.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/Row-over-DU-economics-paper-for-visually-impaired/articleshow/45367030.cms