Times of India: Pune: Sunday, September 13, 2015.
Almost 90%
engineering students of Savitribai Phule Pune University seeking review of
their May 2013 examination papers cleared the test, posing question on the
varsity's assessment mechanism.
A Right to
Information (RTI) application made the starling revelation.
"The
outcome puts a huge question mark on the credibility of those who assess the
answer sheets and also the accountability of the varsity," said Vihar
Durve, an RTI activist who filed the application.
"I
wanted the latest information. But the university never gives it, stating that
the re-evaluation data of the current or the previous year is still being
collected. Hence, I asked for the latest information available between 2012 and
2015 and they gave me information for 2013. This attitude itself shows how
callous the university is regarding matters pertaining to re-evaluation,"
said Durve.
According to
information, a total 2,080 second year engineering course students had applied for
re-evaluation in May 2013. Of them, as many as 1,835 students passed. A total
of 952 third year students had applied for re-evaluation, of which 903 cleared
the exam. As many as 211 final year students had applied for review. Of them,
as many as 203 students passed, taking the pass percentage to 96.2%.
The data from
October 2013 to November 2014 is not bifurcated. It reveals that the total
number of re-evaluation-cum-photocopy cases received by the varsity in the
period was 2,568. Of them, 1,518 passed. The total number of cases for
photocopy alone was 1,008 and that for re-evaluation was 1,560. The total
number of students who passed was 385 and 1,133, respectively, for the
engineering students from first to final year.
"The
question basically is about what these paper assessors do in the first place if
so many students are passing after re-evaluation. The university is making
crores of rupees. Yet, if a student passes after re-evaluation, he/she does not
get any refund. All this needs to be looked into. It is not just about the
money but also about the trauma that students and their parents go through.
This is a very important issue and the varsity needs to come clean on it,"
added Durve.
According to
the information obtained under the RTI Act, the varsity earned crores of rupees
for re-evaluation, photocopy of answer sheets and re-totaling of marks. In
2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15, the varsity earned Rs 6.09 crore, Rs 4.4 crore
and Rs 4.6 crore, respectively, says the RTI reply.
Talking about
the process of re-evaluation, the varsity's controller of examination, Ashok
Chavan, said: "It is very shocking to learn that there has been a 90% pass
percentage. Though I was not in the university in 2013, we will definitely look
into the matter. Re-evaluation is an additional facility given to the students
and it takes about two months for the whole process to be completed. A review
is also done of the results after that."
Chavan said:
"Generally, a pass percentage of 5-15 % is observed after re-evaluation.
If it is on the higher side, a review is done and the report is submitted to
the competent authority, which in this case is the Board of Examinations.
Action is taken against the responsible teachers according to the report of the
Board of Examinations."
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