Mumbai Univ on screen assessment: Principals, assessors uncertain if process will be completed on time

The chairperson of the Board of Studies of a course told The Indian Express that even if these corrective measures were in place, the university does not have enough teachers to correct all answer sheets on time.

Even as the University of Mumbai started training sessions on the onscreen assessment process, principals and assessors are unsure if it would be completed on time. In an attempt to avoid mistakes and glitches experienced in the assessment process during the summer semesters, the Board of Examination (BoE) has introduced several corrective measures. Some of the measures include a master list of assessors and question paper codes, training of staff as well as assessors. But some principals and course coordinators are worried as they think these are not enough.

The chairperson of the Board of Studies of a course told The Indian Express that even if these corrective measures were in place, the university does not have enough teachers to correct all answer sheets on time. According to the BoE, over 14,000 teachers and principals have been identified as evaluators. “But only a third of these teachers are working on a full-time basis. The rest are employed on contract basis and the pay for evaluation is meagre,” said the chairperson, a senior professor in the university. “One of the biggest problems last time was that many teachers did not turn up for assessment and had to be persuaded. Nothing has changed on this front,” he added.

To ease the discomfort of assessors, the university has rolled out a compulsory training programme for principals and teachers. Evaluators will also have to go through a compulsory five minute video tutorial before they can access the first answer sheet. “But competency with the software was not the problem the first time around. There were technical problems. Varsity officials are claiming that these problems have been sorted out but we won’t know for sure until evaluation actually begins,” said another professor.

Ancy Jose, the principal of Nagindas Khandwala College, said: “We are hopeful that the evaluation process will be smooth this time and the results would not be delayed. We will find out once evaluation begins.” With the first set of exams done, evaluations are set to begin early next week. University officials are confident that technical glitches have been eliminated. “We have streamlined the entire assessment process and tested each step. The entire system is robust and we are sure that the assessment process will be smooth this time,” said Arjun Ghatule, the acting director of Examinations and Evaluation.