Varsity cicular goes off the mark

MUMBAI, February 18: With the second-year BCom examinations just a month away, there is still confusion about some vital aspects of comme...

MUMBAI, February 18: With the second-year BCom examinations just a month away, there is still confusion about some vital aspects of commerce question paper, like total marks and number of questions. The confusion stems from a recent University of Mumbai circular – an apparent goof-up on the university’s part – which has sought some major changes in commerce question paper.

While all these years the the SY BCom commerce paper used to be for 100 marks, the circular stipulates that the papers should now be set for 70 marks. And to make matters worse the circular has not yet reached several colleges though it was dispatched in October last year. Consequently, while some colleges have set their commerce question paper with a total of 100 marks as per the existing pattern, others have prepared questions adding up to 70 marks.

The University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Naresh Chandra admitted that there seemed to be a “discrepancy” and added that the university was “working on it.” Efforts are on, he said, toensure that the question paper is set for 100 marks.

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According to university rules for internal assessment, colleges should consider 30 per cent of marks scored in the term test and 70 per cent of the marks in the final examination. However, several principals Express Newsline spoke to said their computers were programmed to arrive at 70 per cent from a total of 100 marks and that it would be difficult to re-programme them to calculate 70 per cent out of 70 marks.

Also, a circular issued early last year had clearly said that for term tests the papers should be for 60 marks, and for the final examination each paper should be for 100 marks. Nobody knows what made the university suddenly change its mind.

The change in marks will also force a change in the exam duration. “If the paper is for 70 marks, then the duration of the exam has to be two-and-a-half hours,” said a principal, adding that the paper had been set for three hours till now.

According to the new circular, there should be 10questions in all for the commerce paper; the first question, which is compulsory, will be objective type carrying 14 marks. The remaining nine questions shall be of 14 marks each, any four of which could be attempted.

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Technical problems apart, more troubles are in store as the circular, dated October 27, 1998, is yet to reach several colleges. For instance, Asha Bhattacharya, principal, DTSS College, Malad, informed that her college still had not received the circular. Bhavan’s College, Andheri too has not received the circular. These colleges have already set their question papers for 100 marks, considering that exams start in March.

P Unnikrishnan, principal of Vivek College of Commerce, Goregaon, said, “We have set the question paper for 100 marks and we are not going to change it. We had informed students last year itself that commerce will be a 100 marks paper, and they have prepared accordingly.”

The circular, it turns out, followed the recommendations on question paper pattern made by the Boardof Studies which were later approved by the Academic Council. “How could the Academic Council pass something like this?” asked a principal.