MUMBAI, January 28: Unprecedented in its history, the University of Mumbai has awarded eight grace marks to each of the 64 unsuccessful students to help them pass the final year MBBS examination whose results were declared on January 12.Justifying the vice-chancellor's extreme `generosity', a university circular says the marks have been conceded to compensate for difficulties in attempting some questions in the Prevention and Social Medicine paper.Asked why she thought it necessary to give every unsuccessful student the grace marks when candidates could have been considered on a case-by-case basis, Vice-Chancellor Dr Snehalata Deshmukh told Express Newsline: ``It was my decision. After considering the students' representations via their respective deans, I convened a meeting of the statutory bodies of the university and decided to give eight grace marks to help them clear the examination.''Deshmukh, who was dean of the Sion Hospital before taking over as vice-chancellor, says the students werenot able to tackle the `short notes' section of the paper. ``I personally saw the question and concluded that they were difficult to answer and therefore I recommended the grace marks to all the 64 unsuccessful students,'' she points out.Even though the university has never before witnessed such across-the-board largesse, Deshmukh says it was well within her jurisdiction to take the decision as per the provisions of the Maharashtra Universities Act. ``I do not think it will set a bad precedent. On the contrary, it will set a good precedent as justice has been done to the deserving students,'' she remarks.Though she admits that the disputed questions were not out of the syllabus, Deshmukh maintains that students are rarely asked such questions. ``It will be difficult to comment on it since the subject of Preventive and Social Medicine has a very vast scope to ask questions,'' she explains.The circular says representations from the candidates were also considered by the paper setter and the examinersfollowing which the decision to award grace marks was taken. ``This decision of the paper setter and the examiners was accepted by the Board of Examinations at its meeting on January 22. The results of all the candidates who appeared at the final MBBS examination held in October 1998, have therefore been modified by adding eight grace marks and adjusting the grace marks already granted to some of the candidates,'' the circular states.The decision has, however, stunned the medical fraternity which finds no justification to reward failure. Saying there is absolutely no reason why every unsuccessful student should have received the grace marks, senior doctors feel it could also set a bad precedent apart from eroding the standard of medical education offered by the University of Mumbai. ``Though Deshmukh says there is nothing wrong with the decision, former chief minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar had to resign from office when it was confirmed that his daughter's marks had been inflated to enable her toclear the MBBS examination,'' a senior professor points out.Maharashtra Medical Council Vice-President Sudhir Dangaonkar says a high-level committee should be set up to investigate the matter. ``Why were grace marks given in the Prevention and Social Medicine subject when the overall result of the final MBBS examination was very poor,'' he asks.
