Mumbai: Students of the Mumbai University on Wednesday welcomed the removal of Vice-Chancellor (VC) Sanjay Deshmukh, but demanded a total restructuring of the assessment system and a reversal of all appointments made by Mr. Deshmukh.
“We appreciate the move taken by the Chancellor; it should have been taken much earlier. We have also written to him, requesting that the names of all students whose papers have been misplaced be made public so that appropriate action can be taken against the university,” Abhishek Bhatt, leader of Student Law Council said.
Mr. Bhatt demanded that all appointments made by Mr. Deshmukh should be revisited and revoked. “The VC was removed from his post for mismanagement and gross negligence. So it is likely that appointments done by him would also be any act of negligence. We demand that the entire system be corrected, and a mere partial change won’t do,” he said.
The university has been facing flak since January, when it decided to introduce a digitised evaluation system for answer sheets. The implementation of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system faced several problems.
To begin with, in February, the university realised that the project did not have adequate number of bidders. After a struggle, the project was finally given to Meritrac for a three-year period. The university was then beset with paper leaks and delay in declaring results of exams held from February to April.
Delays in declaring results still continue, with nearly 3,600 answer sheets reportedly misplaced. Students and parents have repeatedly protested against the delay. On Wednesday, the Student Law Council demanded that Meritrac should not be given any further contracts.
Ameya Malshe, one of the students who went on a hunger strike in protest of the problems in the university, said the VC’s removal alone won’t solve the problem. “There should be a proper enquiry conducted to find out who else beyond the VC is responsible for the delay in results. But for now, declaring results is the most important step which should be taken as soon as possible. The next VC should see to it that all these problems are solved,” Mr. Malshe said.
Sachin Pawar, president of the Student Law Council, said the new Vice-Chancellor should urgently consider reducing examination fees, which many students cannot afford.
Ganesh Yadav, a Youth Congress leader said, “Rather than talking about the problems which have occurred, it is necessary that a meeting be called and a new committee instituted to ensure that problems are resolved and not repeated again.”
Hunt for new VC
Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, the Chancellor of Mumbai University, on Wednesday constituted a search committee under the chairmanship of space scientist K. Kasturirangan to identify a new Vice-Chancellor for the university. Dr. Kasturirangan, who headed the Indian Space Research Organisation from 1994 to 2003, is at present the chairman of the committee to prepare the final draft of the National Education Policy.
