Students urge administration to postpone or cancel exam scheduled on festival day
GHAZIABAD — A private university in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, Sunder Deep Group of Institutions (SDGI) Global University, is facing criticism after scheduling a practical examination for first-year pharmacy students on the day of Eid Al-Adha.
The issue came to the fore after a student, Mohammad Arhan, posted a video on social media urging the university administration to either postpone or cancel the exam.
Along with the video, he shared the practical examination schedule, which shows that the pharmacognosy practical is slated for Thursday, May 28 — the same day as Eid al-Adha.
In the video, Arhan raised concerns over the long duration of the exam, scheduled from 9 am to 5 pm.
“On May 28, the university has scheduled a practical exam. The timing is 9 am to 5 pm,” he said.
He questioned how students observing the festival would be able to balance their religious celebrations with an eight-hour practical examination on the same day.
The first-year D Pharmacy student is heard in the video saying: “Ab koi insaan nau baje se paanch baje tak wahan paper dega ya apna festival manayega? Ya toh hamara paper aage kiya jaaye ya use radd kiya jaaye” (Will students spend the entire day giving exams from 9 am to 5 pm or celebrate their festival? The university should either reschedule the paper or cancel it).
Another X post reads, this is unacceptable behaviour of the university to conduct a practical exam on Eid day, which was already declared a holiday by the government.
Several other social media users, pointing to similar situations at educational institutions, have shared instances from across the country where examinations have reportedly been scheduled during Eid al-Adha, reigniting debate around academic calendars and religious observances.
