Kannur: In yet another incident putting the sanctity of university examinations under scanner, an unevaluated answer sheet of the sixth semester BA examinations of the Kannur University was reportedly found by the roadside about six months after the results were announced.
The answer sheet belonged to Tom K Shaji, a candidate with special needs studying at Government College, Mananthavady in Wayanad. He wrote the exam with the help of a scribe.
The person who found the answer sheet sent it to the Kannur district office of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) via post which subsequently handed it over to the university authorities.
Following verification, the university officials confirmed that the answer sheet was of the Film Studies paper of the sixth semester BA degree course.
The vice-chancellor ordered an inquiry into the incident after KSU activities laid a siege to his office on the administrative campus alleging inept handling of answer sheets. Pro-vice-chancellor Dr T Asokan will be in charge of the departmental probe.
The university published the results of the sixth semester examinations on June 26, but Tom’s results were withheld, citing non-submission of dissertation as the reason.
However, now it has become clear that the authorities were forced to withhold his results after misplacing the answer booklet.
There were as many as 27 candidates, including Tom, who appeared for the exam at the center in Mananthavady. As per university records, all the answer booklets had reached the varsity’s examination wing.
Only an inquiry would reveal how one of the booklets got misplaced, said officials.
As no false number was found on the answer sheet, it was assumed that it could have been misplaced or lost before being sent to the university headquarters for evaluation.
Though the university authorities maintained that only one answer booklet was lost, a note attached to the answer sheet sent by post to the KSU office claimed that there were as many as 25 answer sheets in the bundle found along the wayside.
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