Thiruvananthapuram: Amid concerns over plunging academic standards all around, the University of Kerala which continues to be in the news for all the wrong reasons has allegedly contrived to help undeserving students to clear examinations. Around 400 LLB, B Tech and BA students who had initially failed in their exams with meagre, even single-digit marks, were declared passed by the university with a farcical revaluation after amending the 45-year-old exam manual. For instance one student who had got 8 marks for LLB Administrative Law paper secured 36 in revaluation. Another student’s mark went up from 4 to 26!
The nominated pro-Left Syndicate of the University likely played a critical role in the mark largesse as it had changed the norms for evaluation and revaluation of test papers.
However, the University authorities, which later found that malpractice had occurred in the revaluation, withdrew the amendment. Even then, the mark lists issued to the students who benefited from the revaluation have not been withdrawn.
According to the original rule, in case a student scored more than 10 per cent marks in revaluation, a third valuation had to be done and the average marks given. The amendment in June said that the marks in revaluation had to be taken as the final marks and this avoided the need for a third valuation.
After the third valuation was done away with, a centralised valuation was introduced. As a result, the secrecy attached to valuation was lifted and the teachers reaching the university for revaluation became susceptible to influence by interested parties.
The issue came to light when the Examination Section initiated measures to impose fines on faculty who conducted the first valuation. According to the rules, in case more than 20 per cent marks are awarded during revaluation, a fine of Rs 5,000-10,000 has to be imposed on the faculty who checked answer paper the first time.
Subsequently, the university cancelled the amendment to the old rule. But the answer sheets of students who scored more than 20 per cent marks in revaluation would now have to be sent for a third valuation.
As the mark-sheets have already been issued, the students who gained from the affair are reportedly exerting pressure on the vice chancellor and Syndicate members to desist from any move to cancel the marks awarded.
It may be recalled that Kerala University is yet to withdraw the degree certificates issued during the moderation scandal.
Mark largesse
The Examination Section found that around 400 failed students received over 20 per cent marks in revaluation. Another 300 candidates saw their marks go up by 10 per cent. Around 40 candidates received 25-35 marks extra. In the Law of Crime paper, an LLB student saw a hike from 2 to 36. A 9 mark paper in BTech Geo Technical Engineering went up to 40 after revaluation. Meanwhile, a student’s 5 marks for Poetry and Grammar for the BA English course became 52. In the CBCS Micro Economics Semester V, 6 marks became 33 and one mark turned into 21.
