The Hindu

MANGALORE, Apr 6: Mangalore University has rescheduled its degree examinations owing to polling for the Lok Sabha elections on April 30. Now the examinations will be held from May 2 to June 3. According to the earlier schedule, the examinations were to start from April 20.

The jurisdiction of the university covers Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu districts where polling will be held on April 30. There are 126 degree colleges affiliated to the university. In addition, there are five autonomous degree colleges, four law colleges and 17 colleges of education (offering B.Ed. courses) and two constituent colleges (which are owned by the university) under its jurisdiction.

Sources said that the rescheduled time table was not applicable to autonomous colleges as they conduct examinations on their own.

Normally during earlier years, the university announced results of degree examinations between June 15 and June- end after conducting all degree examinations by mid-May. This year the results are likely to be announced by July-end

The official said that normally during earlier years classes for first year postgraduate courses began in August after completing the admission formalities in July. This year, it is likely to be delayed by a fortnight as the admission process for admission to first year postgraduate courses will be delayed.

To a query on why results of examinations of the sixth semester (the last semester) of degree courses could not be announced first so that the calendar of events of postgraduate courses for the academic year 2009-10 would not be disturbed, the official said that it can be done. However, the varsity had to first address some issues related to tabulation and feeding marks to computers to issue computerised marks before taking a final decision to this effect. “We are yet to take a decision to this effect,” the official said.

General secretary of the Association of Mangalore University College Teachers (AMUCT) K.V. Purushothama told The Hindu that regulations of credit-based semester scheme of the university do not permit to conduct “supplementary examination” to those students who failed in the fifth semester examinations held in October, 2008 along with the sixth semester examinations in May and June, 2009. According to the regulations, they can appear for the examinations only in October 2009 after a gap of a year. When the AMUCT took up this issue with the university authorities they assured that steps would be taken to address this issue and they will be allowed to appear for the examination in May and June, 2009 itself.

However, the university has not sent any written circular to this effect to colleges. Hence students are now in confusion, he said.

Response

A senior official at the evaluation section said university could not allow such students to appear for the supplementary examination in May and June, 2009 as it could not change the regulations on its own. Since it needed the permission of the government, a proposal had been sent to the government for its consideration. The government is yet to communicate its decision, the official added.