SURAT, May 6: The South Gujarat University, which is grappling with lapses in its examination system, has another trouble at hands. Even before the last paper of the annual examination could be held the names of examiners who will assess the earlier papers are already out.In fact, the names of examiners and their postal addresses are selling like hot cakes. If rumour mills are to be believed any students can shell out Rs 500 and find out the exact location where his answer papers are going to land. No wonder more students are seen these days in the university's administrative block than when the examination was on or was approaching.Though such leakages are not exactly new to the university the regularity with which it has happened during this annual exercise will certainly shame any academic institution. If it started with K P Commerce College, every one now knows where bundles of answer papers from Navyug Commerce and P T Science College have gone.Students, who appeared for TY B Com from Navyug Commerce College know for sure that the English language paper went to H H Tolat of K P Commerce College, Banking papers went to Navsari Garda College's M A Desai, Account-III went to Bardoli's professor P D Patel and Account-IV to U K Pandya from the same town.They can vouch with accuracy similar names from Valsad, Bharuch, Vapi, Rajpipla for that matter any place in the six districts of South Gujarat. When the names of examiners for the K P Commerce college were carried by a local newspaper, Vice-Chancellor Ashwin Kapadia put head of the Physics department Dr B I Sheth in-charge of the system.However, it did not help for more names and addresses were out. In fact, the administration of the university is so vulnerable that it's difficult to trust a single soul, a fact the vice-chancellor admits. ``Given that so many persons are involved in the process, integrity of all can't be cent per cent.''He admits that there are so many loopholes in the system that the names could be leaked at any stage. The names of panelists are prepared in advance and copies circulated to all Academic Council members and chairmen of all boards of examiners.There was a time when the question papers used to carry the names of paper setters and examiners prominently on the top. But that was long ago, before the state was carved out of Maharashtra and Bombay University was conducting the examinations. Integrity of people involved in the examination process and teachers was so high that such instances were impossible then, but five decades down the line the entire system has gone haywire.However, it still depends on the examiners for if they don't reciprocate to advances by students and don't indulge in malpractices the examination would stop short of becoming a farce. Apart from leaks on examiners names and addresses there were no untoward incidents in the SGU annual examination, Kapadia claims while referring to leaks of question paper in Gujarat University.Kapadia says usually the seniormost teachers are made chairmen of boards of examiners and panel of examiners is known to many persons so leaks can occur from various sources. Moreover, for lack of manpower, the university is forced to make up with examiners that are not up to the mark, he adds.
