Nearly 600 undergraduate colleges affiliated to Bangalore University will reopen at least 14 days late, thanks to the delay in commencement of evaluation of the answer scripts of the previous semester exams. University sources said the colleges, which were scheduled to open on June 24, may now open only on July 8.
While it may seem like an extended holiday for the lakhs of students, repeaters and sixth semester students will be walking the tightrope as the announcement of results may also be delayed, possibly affecting whatever plans they have for their further studies.
New system
Speaking to The Hindu on Thursday, Registrar (Evaluation) R.K. Somashekhar said the delay in commencement of evaluation was caused by a new system being set up, where all the details of the student, including the college code, would be scanned in the answer scripts. “This makes it easy for us to trace a paper if lost as we are dealing with lakhs of answer scripts,” he said.
Another reason
Prof. Somashekhar also attributed the delay in commencement of evaluation to the preliminary preparations at the five evaluation centres. “We have already commenced evaluation of language answer scripts in two centres,” he added. BU, he said, is aiming at readying the results of the repeaters and sixth semester students by July 20, while the entire process — printing of marks cards included — should be completed at least by July 30.
Not amused
However, lecturers, who are doubling up as evaluators, are not taking kindly to the delay. Members of the Bangalore University College Teachers’ Association (BUCTA) are calling it an ‘unwarranted delay’.
A statement from the association said: “It is unfortunate that evaluation has not commenced even 15 days after the completion of major exams, which got over by May 24. Only a few students wrote the exams till the first week of June. As per the arrangements followed in the past few years, evaluation should have commenced at least by May 27.”
Disgruntled
K.M. Nagaraj, president of the BUCTA, added, “The evaluation of B.Com. and BBM answer scripts take a minimum of 40 days. If we don’t complete evaluation work before colleges re-open, how will we teach? Students are being penalised unnecessarily.”
