MU to Mithibai: Start new grading pattern only for 1st-yr courses

MUMBAI:MONTHS after protesting against the management’s decision to introduce a new grading pattern for all students, the University of Mumbai (MU) on Monday directed Vile Parle’s Mithibai College to implement the system progressively, starting with only first-year students this year.

MU’S board of examination (BOE), in a letter to the college principal, also questioned the institute’s decision to implement the new grading pattern for all the classes, instead of implementing it phase-wise, starting from the fresh batch of students. It stated that the institute will have to refrain from implementing the new pattern to all batches.

“In response to the reply sent by you to the vice-chancellor of MU, I bring to your notice that any change/modification/revision to grading system has to be implemented only with effect from first year and must not be implemented for students who have already cleared the previous year on the basis of an earlier grading system,” the letter signed by BOE director, Vinod Patil, said.

Despite repeated attempts, Mithibai College principal Rajpal Hande and Asoke Basak, chief executive officer of the Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM) (the trust which runs the college), were unavailable for comments.

In February, students staged a silent protest against the new pattern and pointed out that their scores fell drastically in the previous semester after the college introduced a 10-point grading system, instead of the seven-point one followed by MU. But, despite repeated assurances of reviewing the decision, the college declared the second-year results based on the new pattern two weeks ago. “Due to the new system, most students got lower grades and this is unacceptable, as it’s not our fault,” said a student