Just how much time does
a university need to declare end of semester examination results? Three to four
weeks after the last paper is what University of Delhi takes, with most reputed
ones not taking much longer. For HNB Garhwal University (HNBGU), however, even
four months are not adequate for the purpose.
A few weeks ago, several
students pursuing undergraduate professional courses from Dehra Dun based private
institutes affiliated to HNBGU, who had qualified entrance tests for admission
to postgraduate courses in universities outside Uttarakhand and had to register
for counselling thereof, had to make a couple of trips to university’s office
in Srinagar to obtain their fifth semester mark sheets as results of their
examinations held in January had not been declared till the end of May!
The students got their
mark sheets, of course, but after making the unnecessary extra effort, besides
suffering needless anxiety and losing valuable time and money in the process. They
were lucky that their results had been uploaded on the university computer and
hence were not asked to shell out an extra thousand rupees as fees for
“provisional” mark sheet. What would
have happened if their answer booklets had not been evaluated is anybody’s
guess.
Some running around
from “pillar to post” had to be done and red tape faced within the university’s
office in Srinagar for the purpose. That none of the dealing persons asked that
their “palms be greased” was the saving grace.
These students are now left
wondering whether HNBGU will be able to declare the results of their sixth
semester examinations held in the middle of June and issue the final mark
sheets before the cut-off dates prescribed by the universities they are
joining.
HNBGU has been
notorious for delays and irregularities right from the time it came into
existence in 1973 and the situation seems to be much the same even though it was
upgraded to a central university in 2009, barring the financial gains that its
employees have made on account of change of their pay scales from state to
central government.
The situation is worse
for students of affiliated self-financing private institutes offering
professional courses like B.B.A., B.C.A., B. Sc. (IT), M.B.A., M.C.A., M. Sc.
(IT), etc. Semester end examinations that are supposed to be conducted in
December and May are invariably delayed by at least a month.
The university then
takes its own sweet time and students usually receive their mark sheets and
admit cards together just before the commencement of the next semester exams. Moreover,
for some reason best known to HNBGU authorities, results of these professional
courses are not uploaded and made available on the university website, even as
the ones for other courses are.
The position is even
more appalling in the case of B.Ed.
Three years ago, HNBGU declared a “zero year” for this programme to
bring it back on track as sessions were running more than a year behind
schedule. In spite of this, and the fact that entrance tests for the course are
usually conducted on time, the session begins not before October and
examinations are held in August or September the following year, while the
results are declared still later. The scenario for other professional courses
run by the university is pretty much the same.
It is interesting to note that Government of India had recognised that
there was no uniformity in the academic schedule followed by the various
varsities and colleges which often acted as a hurdle for students taking a
transfer from one university to another often leading to missed opportunities
and appointed an expert committee in 2006 to look into the feasibility of
establishing a uniform academic calendar.
The report of this committee was accepted and the Union HRD Ministry had
in June 2007 asked all UGC recognised universities - whether central, state or
a deemed; as well as their affiliated colleges - to follow a uniform academic
calendar with immediate effect.
As
per this directive classes for first year students must commence in the first week of
August, while for all others by the third week of July in every
university or college. Examinations are to be held on time and results for all courses to be declared by not later than the last week of June.
Why is HNBGU not following
such clear government directives? Who in the university is responsible for implementation
of these directives? Who is to be blamed if its students lose out on better prospects
for higher studies in universities outside the state and on job opportunities
on account of such delays on the part of the university for no fault of theirs?
It is time HNBGU stopped playing with the careers of its students.
UGC and HRD Ministry,
on their part, need to continuously monitor the functioning of all the
universities across the country to ensure that their guidelines are strictly
adhered to as also take strict action against the erring ones. They also need
to issue clear instructions to universities to be flexible regarding the
cut-off dates in genuine cases so that students are not deprived of their
legitimate rights for mistakes committed by the varsity they were unfortunately
enrolled with. The task is monumental, but not impossible.
HNBGU final semester
candidates, in the meanwhile, are looking skyward for timely declaration of
their results.
