Annual exams: a testing time for SGU

SURAT, APRIL 30: Annual examinations have proved to be a testing time for South Gujarat University as its administration has blundered about...

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SURAT, APRIL 30: Annual examinations have proved to be a testing time for South Gujarat University as its administration has blundered about, putting a stain on its already sullied image, and giving critics a huge stick to beat itself in the process.

Given the gigantic scope of its operations; 62 affiliated colleges, two recognised institutions and three approved institutions spread over the six districts of South Gujarat Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Dangs it would be a miracle if the university could manage everything smoothly.

Added to this are 16 post-graduate departments and 62 university post-graduate centres. A total of 70,698 students appeared in the March/April 1997 examinations and 18,988 in the October examinations before that. Though the actual number of students taking admission in SGU affiliated colleges came down last year the existing number is enough to give sleepless nights to the authorities.

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Ironically, many see the annual examination as an opportunity to either settle scores or see their rivals at their negligent best.

How else would one explain the error on part of a clerk in the examination department to simply forget sending into print the B. Sc.

(Physics-Electronics) paper. When a clerk is held responsible for the faux pas aren’t his seniors in the examination section or others in the administrative set up equally guilty?

Can there be a better proof of the comedy of errors than the realisation before an hour of the scheduled start of the examination in two colleges in Bharuch and Zadeshwar that question papers have simply not been printed and the vice-chancellor himself has to move about faxing the manuscript of the question paper.

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No fax machine in the entire administrative block of the university functions and the vice-chancellor has to go to the neighbouring S V R Engineering College to fax the manuscript to ensure that “there is no leakage.”

If this was not enough, the first year Bachelor of Arts students had 40 per cent questions out of syllabus in their Economics paper. However, their counterparts appearing for Psychology paper were better off. The Psychology paper had different questions in the English and Gujarati version in the bilingual paper.

One may wonder what difference did it make to either of students, those taking the examination in English medium and those in Gujarati. The mistake was found out when students who did not understand questions in either language referred to the other version for better understanding. The authorities could not explain the mistake. In none of these cases any one was punished.

If the administration had its share of blunders, students did not do any good to the university’s reputation either. Three were caught impersonating and 80 others cheating and many others were either connived or let off with warnings. If university sources and students are to believed copying goes on in many notorious colleges unabated. One of the college even managed to post a peon as supervisor when several teachers were available.

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If clerks in the examination section were having a field day, teachers also found in the annual exercise an opportunity to raise their demand for increase in the rates of remuneration for assessment. With supervision compulsory for teachers during the examination they had no option but to accept it. Now they want two-fold hike in the remuneration paid for assessment, a demand the university has no time to pay heed to busy as it is, going through motions.