University of Mumbai gets Rs 1.97 crore to reassess papers, but delays results

mumbai

Updated: Feb 02, 2018 09:37 IST

Despite halving the charges for re-evaluation earlier this semester, the University of Mumbai has collected Rs1.97 crore from students, revealed a Right to Information (RTI) application.

However, more than 4,000 students are still waiting for re-evaluation results.

The university also received Rs7.90 lakh from students for photocopies of their answer sheets.

It started receiving photocopy and re-evaluation requests from last September, which continued till the end of November. According to the rules, the university shall declared re-evaluation marks within a month of receiving applications.

“What’s the use of charging so much money from students when almost four months after applying for re-evaluation, thousands of students are waiting for their results? The university needs to look into this matter,” said Vihar Durve, an RTI activist from Mumbai. The MU had received 80,721 applications in the last semester, the highest ever.

Until 2016-17, the MU used to charge Rs500 for re-evaluation and Rs100 for photocopies of an answer booklet.

After receiving flak for the growing number of errors in assessment leading more students to apply for re-evaluation, the university slashed charges to Rs 250 and Rs50.

According to two separate RTIs previously filed by Durve between April 2014 and March 2016, the university had raked in Rs8 crore in re-evaluation and photocopy charges.

Another RTI showed almost 30% students were wrongly failed.

“I had applied for re-evaluation in October 2017 and I’m still waiting for the new result for two of three subjects that I had applied for. The purpose of re-evaluation fails if the university plans to sit on our applications for four to five months,” said Jhanvi Moghe, one of the applicants.

Officials from the university attributes the delay to a high number of applications.

“This will not be the case from this semester onwards as we have ensured that the system is as error-free as possible,” said the official.