Musical chairs in B.Com exam
Hours before examination, students asked to go from one college to another
Due to a miscommunication between the city colleges and the Mumbai university examination authorities, an hour before the V semester B Com examination started on Tuesday, several students were forced to move from one college to another as their examination seating arrangement was changed without their prior knowledge.
The University of Mumbai has officially admitted to its mistake in writing. In a written apology, the university has said that the examination centres mentioned on the students’ hall tickets did not tally with the actual seating arrangement published on the university’s website.
Many students complained that they could not give their best in the examination because of psychological stress. Those few colleges, which received instructions of the university, gave grace time to students but some colleges did not.
This is not the first time that such goof-ups have happened in the Mumbai University, which is notorious for not providing hall tickets to students till the examination day. The varsity has also got a bad name for ‘missing’ hall tickets, for question papers not reaching the exam centre on time, or the question paper not downloading for the online test.
When the B Com fifth semester examination (of 75: 25 pattern) started on Tuesday, several students complained that they did not receive the hall tickets for the examination till Monday, a day before the examination. On behalf of the university, some colleges orally informed the students of the examination centres. However, when the students reached out to the said examination centre, they were told that their seating arrangement is done in the ‘home college’. Result: the students found themselves running from one college to another.
An HR College student said, “I was informed that my examination centre is Nagrik Shikshan Sanstha (NSS) College. When I reached there (on Tuesday), they told me to approach to my home college, as that is my examination centre. Finally, I reached my college late and somehow finished the paper.”
Wiser after the goof-up, it has been decided that henceforth the colleges will follow the seating arrangement published on the official website of the university.
While talking to the FPJ, University of Mumbai Registrar MA Khan said that there was miscommunication by the Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation, which is entrusted with the task of making online seating arrangement for the examination.
He added, “We have constituted a committee to investigate the matter. After the inquiry we will take appropriate action against the culprit. We tender an apology to the students for the inconvenience during the examination.”