Doctoring the marks

Daulatrao Aher has done well to ask promptly for an inquiry by the Maharashtra Medical Council into the conduct of the MBBS examinations. The matter involves the careers of 1,400 students, the standards of medical education in the State and the reputation of the University of Mumbai. There is little time to waste. It is necessary for the MMC to complete its investigations expeditiously so that appropriate decisions can be taken at an early date on finalising the exam results. But it is not going be easy to decide what is fair and proper. First reports on the 8220;marks scandal8221; suggest that the main beneficiaries of eight grace marks awarded to all final year students were 64 students who would otherwise have failed their exams. Naturally, Aher, among others, smelled something fishy here. But the waters are rapidly being muddied. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr Snehlata Deshmukh, claims the theory paper in Preventive and Social Medicine was tough. Taking their cue from this, some parents and students go further and sayall exam papers were difficult. This sets the scene for the argument that Maharashtra8217;s MBBS graduates should not be at a disadvantage in the all-India competition for admissions to postgraduate courses under a new centralised admissions system. Thus, what appeared to be an extraordinary and unjustified act of generosity to 64 students is rapidly developing the features of an act of social work on behalf of 1400 students and the State of Maharashtra. The Chancellor of the University, Governor P C Alexander, who has asked the VC for a full report on the affair, and the MMC must between them get at the truth. For that it is important to keep a clear head and reject this social work nonsense. No one is making the case that there was grossly incompetent paper-setting. So raising marks carte blanche points to mala fide action. The University8217;s responsibility is to provide a sound education and assess students at examinations fairly. It is not in the business of social work. The norms for a good medical educationare set by professional bodies, the Indian Medical Council and affiliated state councils, and are common to all state universities. It is not in the interests of students, the medical fraternity and the community to lower standards by doctoring exam results.