Amid the ongoing protest by international students who have failed in the examinations, outside the campus of Canada’s Algoma University in Brampton city, grades of majority of the students have been corrected on the portal. As per the earlier reports, nearly 132 students mostly of Punjab origin had failed in one subject of IT graduation course. A number of students checked their results on the portal and found themselves pass in the subject 'Techniques of a system analyst ' in the IT graduation course, sources said. The result on the portal was reflected on January 9, they added. The students say an information technology professor has flunked over 130 international students in what they allege is part of a ploy to mint money in re-examination fees. "Students have informed us that many of them have passed the test. A nine-member committee comprising students of the university, MYSO and Naujawan Support Network (NSN) volunteers had been coordinating with the university authorities for more than a week,” Mandeep, convenor of Montreal Youth Students Organisation (MYSO) that has been supporting the students over the alleged academic irregularities in the Canadian university, told The Indian Express on Friday. The students’ outfit held a meeting with the university on Monday and was told that the matter was being pursued seriously. “We have demanded action against the professor who had caused deep harassment to the students," Mandeep said. Many students who did not wish to be named have got emails from the university stating that the course instructor had applied a normalised grading system and that it will submit the final grades for this course section. As a result, they had passed, they said. In addition, many students who could not pass the subject even after applying the normalised system were given an option to complete an aptitude competency exam which will be composed by and graded by a different instructor for which no fee will be levied. The re-examination for the ones who failed is likely to take place by the end of January. The university has stated that a preparatory package and tutoring support will be available for the students who will be appearing for the aptitude competency exam. Manpreet Kaur Longowal, another MYSO member, said, "After this episode students from many other colleges of Canada are approaching us with similar problems". NSN, led by Bikram Kullewal, is another organisation which is supporting the students. Meanwhile, the students are continuing the indefinite agitation outside the campus, amid harsh weather. The result of the Human Resource and Business Management subject in the UG course was announced on Monday, and many students have failed. "We have asked all those students who are not satisfied with the result to take up the matter with the university. Evaluation needs to be free and fair," said Khushpal Grewal, a volunteer of MYSO. The number of protestors have increased with many students of Human Resource and Business Management also joining the agitation. “Our support to the students was for a fair grading system and not a fight to get any failed student declared pass. Re-evaluation should be a transparent process,” said Mandeep while reminding that many universities in Canada survive exclusively on international students. MYSO volunteers alleged that staff of many universities in Canada were biased against the international students over their cultural and linguistic differences. "Students from India come to Canada with big dreams about their career. We appeal to their parents to encourage their wards to raise their voices against injustice as well," he said. The IT graduation course has 10 subjects and students say that it was shocking to note that they failed in one theory subject and passed in nine subjects and in the practical of 'techniques of a system analyst'.
