Scores of students gathered outside Anna University on Friday demanding that the University withdraw the regulations it introduced in 2017.
The students were protesting against the regulations, after they found that they made examinations more difficult. Many of them had failed in the November-December 2017 semester exams, the results of which were published on Monday evening. A second-year student from a college in Vellore, with a score of 850 in Class XII, failed in the math paper in the third semester. “Usually only mathematics 1 and 2 papers, that we take in the first year, are tough. Math 3 is generally easy, but this time it was very tough,” he said.
“Since we can take only 24 credits, we will have only 12 credits in hand to accommodate arrears. If we fail in three or more subjects, how will we write all the exams, as we are given only three additional years to complete the programme?” he asked.
A drastic fall
According to him, in his college, the number of students who have passed all subjects in a year has fallen drastically under the new regulations. “This year, only 10 students have cleared all papers. Earlier, at least 100 students would have passed in all subjects,” he added.
Teachers from the affiliated colleges said fewer students had passed mathematics this semester. A teacher from a Coimbatore-based college said: “In the latest odd semester (3rd semester), compared to last year, there was a 15% drop in pass percentage in all math papers. Some students who are considered good have also failed.”
“The questions were of the B.Sc. Math level, which are difficult even for teachers to solve. A good student who can solve the entire paper would need four hours,” said a Chennai college teacher.
The affected students have also taken to social media, demanding a return to earlier norms. In Vellore, students from eight colleges submitted a petition to the District Collector.
