After some results of the Mumbai University’s first-half examinations this year got delayed with the examiners not reporting for the Central Assessment Programme (CAP) on time, the university has now decided to punish the errant teachers. From now on, there will be no “placements” (read promotions) for those who fail to report for evaluation or assessment work on time, according to the university.
“Measures need to be in place to ensure that students don’t suffer. And if we find that teachers are not attending the CAP, they will be barred from grades,” said Pro Vice-Chancellor A D Sawant. He said that such steps were required particularly for courses like Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Management Studies and engineering, where the chances of results getting delayed due to late assessment of answer books are more acute.
The second-half examinations for 2007 (for over 200 courses) will commence from October. Incidentally, the university website mentions that the “results of these examinations will be declared within 30-45 days after the conclusion of respective exams”.
According to the Maharashtra University Act 1994, professors were barred from taking answer books to their homes for evaluation and the provision of central assessment was introduced. And as per the Act, results must to be published a month after the examination is conducted. And if results are declared after 45 days, the university has to send a report to the Chancellor explaining reasons for the delay.
Earlier, in a bid to bring to book the errant professors, the Mumbai University, for the first time, issued directives in May to heads of several colleges to take action against such teachers. “The Maharashtra University Act 1994 states that exam work is mandatory and if not followed, it is to be treated as misconduct,” Mumbai University Controller of Examinations Prakash J Wani had then said.
The Academic Council of the Mumbai University has also decided that if any college applies for a new course, the application will be routed through the office of the Controller of Examination and the college will have to furnish information on how many of its teachers were sent for the assessment work. “And, the college will be allowed to offer new courses only if we find that the college and its professors have done their (exam assessment) work properly,” said a university official.
The university is also preparing a list of all teachers in its affiliated colleges. “Accordingly, the office of the Controller of Examination has been told to instruct all principles to come with a list of faculty members and courses offered,” said Sawant.
Colleges will also be asked to give names of teachers who will be sent for assessing papers. Principals of engineering colleges will be told to identify 50 per cent of teachers for university assessment and the remaining 50 per cent for college assessment.