Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Congress youth wing National Students Union of India (NSUI) held a protest at Savitribai Phule Pune University on Monday demanding a re-examination for engineering students facing repeating a year due because they failed in one or two subjects.
The protestors broke down barriers and forcibly entered the main building to present their demands. In response, university authorities said they will look into demands of protestors according to what is legally possible.
Akshay Jain, former national secretary of NSUI, said, “The students did their examinations according to the 2019 pattern. Now the pattern has changed and they are being asked to do it again in the 2024 pattern. They will lose out on a full year and have to study again.” The protestors met with vice-chancellor Suresh Gosavi to present their demands.
He added, “It is not the job of students to protest on the streets. But due to the university administration’s negligence, we are forced to do so. If an institution known as the ‘Oxford of the East’ endangers the future of its students, it is a matter of shame.”
Jain also claimed there were irregularities in the exam process, like photocopies of question papers leaked on Telegram on the day of the exam and results being declared and changed multiple times.
Professor Prabhakar Desai, in-charge director, Examinations and Evaluation Board said in a statement, “Some students of Savitribai Phule Pune University have submitted representations regarding carry-on or supplementary examinations. The students demanding this have not been able to obtain at least 50 percent credit marks in a year. As a result, according to university rules, all these students have failed in that academic year. Their demands will be considered in the interest of the students and further action will be taken as per legal provisions and the guidance of the concerned apex bodies.”
Vice-chancellor Gosavi said in a statement, “The university administration considers students as its centre point and always takes decisions in their interest. Previously, in certain circumstances, the university has made decisions so that a student’s time is not wasted. This time too, subject to the rules, a decision will be taken in this regard after considering legal advice.”
