Allegations have been made that the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala (MG University) has violated the regulations and norms by awarding extra marks to its students. More than 140 students of the university have cleared the engineering exams with grace marks that were awarded by the syndicate. An application was addressed to the syndicate by a girl who requested them to give her grace marks. After that, the syndicate decided to award grace marks to all the engineering students who were failing. It has recommended offering up to 5 marks as moderation which will be added to the already existing moderation for those students who have failed in only one subject in any semester.
The result of this moderation was that 140 students managed to clear the examinations and were also awarded certificates. The syndicate members have another 60 applications that are requesting for grace marking and are under consideration. The university has received more than 200 applications on the basis of the new regulation that the syndicate has passed. Even a student who failed in cracking six supplementary exams has become an engineer recently.
The students who have failed in every semester have approached the members of the syndicate collectively with their request. The syndicate issued the bizarre recommendation on 30th April 2019 and it was passed by the Registrar on 15th May.
Various universities of Kerala had been conducting exams for B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) until the year 2018. Post that, the Technical University of Kerala has been taking the engineering exams. At present, MG University is in charge of the Thodupuzha Engineering College and the management authority of the institute will be handed over to the Technical University of Kerala soon.
This allegation on the MG University has also become a political issue now and Ramesh Chennithala, the opposition leader, criticised the Minister for Higher Education K. T. Jaleel regarding granting extra marks to students who had failed. Chennithala said that this is a serious practice of corruption and the minister has granted grace marks earlier as well and termed it as a part of a humanitarian move.
The norms that are said to have been violated are as following:
- The authority to issue grace marks is given to the Pass Board Committee and it can grant marks prior to the declaration of the results. The total grace marks that can be given to students is also decided by the Board.
- The authority to grant grace marks can neither be exercised by the syndicate board members nor by the Education Minister.
- After the declaration of results, grace marks can be given only by evaluating the concerned answer scripts once again.
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Jaleel has, however, claimed these allegations to be baseless. Dr. Usha Titus, the principal of Higher Education, has sought an explanation regarding this matter from the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Dr. Sabu Thomas.
Inputs from Mathrubhumi