More than 100 students of 2018-20 batch of different Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) of the district took out a foot march in Dhanbad and staged a demonstration at Randhir Verma Chowk near the district headquarters on Monday against the undue delay in holding of their final exams.

The protestors who were holding posters, banners and placards, bearing slogans like “DGT Murdabad”, “ITI Exam me deri ke karan virodh pradarshan”, etc. later also handed over a memorandum to Dhanbad deputy commissioner Uma Shankar Singh demanding early exams.

The agitators, who were shouting slogans against the Directorate General Training - the apex organization of ministry of skill for vocational training - for denying permission of holding final exams, also demanded resumption of their practical classes at the earliest which were lying suspended since March last year.

Talking to The Telegraph Online on Monday, Sourav Sao, one of the protestors who is a Fitter trade student KK ITI Institute - Dhanbad, said, “While ITI examinations in other states have been conducted observing the Covid protocols on time, only in Jharkhand, the examinations are being delayed on the pretext of Covid pandemic which is adversely affecting our career,” and added they have recently missed several crucial opportunities like apprenticeship of Defence Research Development Organization recently due to lack of degree and non-completion of their course.

“The upper age limit of applying for apprenticeship course of several organizations is 24 years and several of the present batch students may miss the opportunity due to delayed examination,” said Sao, a resident of Barakar.

Echoing sentiments, Sonu Kumar, another student of Fitter trader of KK ITI who also took part in the demonstration on Monday said, “Our course should have been completed a year ago. Now it has been delayed for more than a year as the exams were not held and it is adversely affecting our career.”

Raising the issue of non-holding of practical classes, Kumar said, “Though National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) the vocational training regulator has given nod for conducting practical classes in workshops but the state government is also not giving permission for holding practical classes which are affecting our training and skill development.”

“During our meeting with DC Uma Shankar Singh, we apprised him about our difficulties but he expressed his inability to do much into the issue as it is related to policy level at the state government but assured us to inform the government about our difficulties,” stated Kumar.