SGU students8217; worries far from over

SURAT, June 25: South Gujarat University students, who are putting up with the agonising wait over already delayed results of their annual e...

SURAT, June 25: South Gujarat University students, who are putting up with the agonising wait over already delayed results of their annual examinations that followed in the wake of an agitation by teachers, are yet to see the last of their worries.

The university administration and members of the South Gujarat College and University Teachers Association are passing the buck to each other, and save courses where students8217; strength can be counted at the fingertips, putting a question mark on the announcement of results of faculties where the number of students taking the examination are in thousands.

Both sides are unsure when major results can actually start rolling in, but both are holding each other responsible for the delay, making mockery of the compromise hammered out in the presence of District Collector R M Shah on June 9.

A fortnight later, the situation is no better, leaving the students as much in doubt as they were before the compromise was agreed upon by Vice-Chancellor Ashwin Kapadia and Registrar V B Yadav and association office-bearers, including president Suryakant Shah, secretary D J Vasavada and treasurer K K Desai.

The university registrar said despite the request to teachers to submit answerscripts to moderators they had not done so. He said their action was adding to the delay and asked teachers who have not submitted answerscripts to do so at the earliest.

In a bid to secure more remuneration for assessment, the teachers did not submit answersripts, forcing the collector to intervene and bring the warring sides together.

According to the compromise terms, teachers were to submit answerscripts as early as possible, while the university was to increase the remuneration by at least Re 1 per answerscript of a two-hour question paper; proportionate hike in keeping with length and duration of the question paper; the university was to ratify that compromise in the Syndicate meeting while the association was to give a mandate to its members to expedite assessment.

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But neither did the university include the compromise for discussion on the agenda of the Syndicate meeting held on June 14, nor could the teachers8217; association fulfil the condition that it will direct all members to submit answerscripts early.

While Kapadia wanted to set a deadline, the association agreed to return 8220;answerscripts as early as possible.8221; Association secretary Vasavada alleged that the university was not able to provide details of destination of answerscripts rejected by teachers who first received them. When one teacher rejects the answerscripts citing personal reasons, they are sent to the other willing teacher.

Vasavada met the vice-chancellor on Tuesday following the threat issued by the university to teachers. He said the university had expressed helplessness in providing details in some cases. Moreover, some teachers had received answerscripts from the university only a couple of days ago. He said teachers received answersripts of Statistics and Economics subjects recently.

Also, teachers who were holidaying outside Gujarat 8212; and not aware of the compromise 8212; could add to the delay, he admitted, saying the association was trying to get in touch with all those who were on leave but were within the state.