Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
The private Engineering Colleges in Orissa, with their well knit unity and dense solidarity, have such a strong nexus with the vice-chancellor of the BP University of Technology that, students who fail to fetch the pass marks in semester exams are being helped to pass out with distinction in special examinations. There are instances – and we in these pages have exposed such instances with evidences – that students having failed to clear their papers in regular semesters had passed in all the backlog papers with high marks in the special examination conducted by the University in single sittings.
This has so much ruined the standard of techno education in Orissa that many of the so-called engineering degree holders from BPUT are not able to get any employment. The issue has rocked the State Assembly several times, but the State has not dared to promulgate a standard.
It has rendered Orissa techno degrees bereft of credibility and because of this, better students do no more prefer the State’s private engineering colleges. As a result, as against 44189 seats, only 17,947 students have taken admission this year leaving 26,947 seats vacant. Out of 102 private colleges, only 23 colleges have got at best 50 students each whereas a college has got no student when five colleges have less than 10. The trend is settled with 29% engineering seats lying vacant in 2009 with the vacancy rising to 50% in 2010 and to 60% in 2011.
But BPUT does not bother. Its VC and material members are gained over by private colleges that have taken money against guaranteed degrees to whosoever gets admission. Many of these students that have paid undisclosed heavy amounts against assured degrees have not thought it necessary to appear in semester examinations. Therefore they have not fetched any internal mark and therefore the colleges are not able to indicate what marks they have got. The BPUT is now forcing the colleges to amend their report and send them marks against students that have got no marks due to non-appearance in examinations.
In repeating its demand, as for example, in a notice on January 24, 2013, it has communicated the VC’s instruction that results would be blocked of the colleges, which do not sumbit internal marks by today (January 29, 2013). We prefer to quote the contents of the Notice below:
It has been observed by the undersigned that many colleges have not responded to the notice given earlier for providing internal marks of 4th Sem Examination (B.Tech / B.Pharm / MCA) both for students appearing regular as well as well as back papers. They are hereby informed to comply it immediately within 29/01/2013 through online entry (refer to the format / scheme prepared for same), without which the university shall be forced to block the results of the students of the respective institution. Please treat this most urgent and of highest priority.
We find that the colleges have already and timely submitted the internal marks. So why this notice and reminders thereof? This is because, the colleges have sent zero marks against students who have not appeared in examinations. But the vice chancellor is not willing to accept ‘zero’ as a number. His message is clear, that forces the Principals (as reporting officers) to give marks to even to students that have not appeared in semester examinations.
Many Principals are baffled, The College managements are forcing them to comply with the instruction of the VC and give ‘more marks’ against ‘no marks’ to students that have obtained ‘zero’ in concerned semester.
They fear, what would happen if a CBI or that sort of authority conducts an inquiry into award of marks to ‘future engineers’ despite their absence in examination. It is they, who will be held responsible for converting ‘zero’ to high value numbers, if and when an inquiry is conducted into how marks of high numbers could be awarded in absence of any examination appeared by the students.
Who would answer?
Will the Government wake up and examine this issue?
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