BENGALURU: Results of over 200 students pursuing MBBS course under Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) have been withheld since they invoked various gods on their answer papers.
The varsity had recently issued a circular, warning students not to indulge in any malpractice, including writing the names of Gods and other requests on the answer scripts. However, over 200 scripts containing such texts were identified during the recent first-year exam.
RGUHS follows digital evaluation and such scripts are rejected. “This time over 200 such scripts were identified and results have been withheld,” said registrar-evaluation Dr MK Ramesh. The scripts have been forwarded to the committee which handles malpractice cases and the students will now have to appear before the committee.“There is no fixed punishment for such malpractice,” he said.
“There is no fixed punishment for such malpractice and the expert committee will decide the same after hearing the students out,” registrar-evaluation Dr MK Ramesh said. As per the guidelines, those who indulge in malpractice should pay a penalty of up to `3,000, but now the university is even thinking of penalising the institutions concerned, along with the candidates.
In a circular issued in October 2018, university officials had clearly instructed students not to indulge in malpractice, and clarified that answer sheets featuring texts such as names of gods, ‘please turn over’, or irrelevant messages addressing the evaluator are banned. The university had even directed all medical education institutions affiliated to it in the state to guide students about the same.
“The circular was published on the website and all colleges were asked to upload the same on their websites and also to put it on the notice board. Unfortunately, despite all this effort, students ignored the warnings and continue to indulge in such malpractice. This time we want to be strict and put an end to these methods,” said another official.
Students often leave emotional messages, names of gods or pleas for evaluators in the hopes that they would be given marks. “We have even witnessed cases where students go to the extent of inserting money inside the answer scripts. Some students try to create sympathy by writing their family background, etc. Hope this measure by the university will bring such cases down,” said a professor.
BU was the first
Bangalore University was the first to bring in a policy that considers actions such as writing names of gods and other irrelevant texts on the answer book as malpractice. When Dr N Prabhu Dev was the V-C of BU, he warned students that the results of those indulging in such malpractices will be put on hold.
What they wrote
I believe in Lord Ganesha. If you don’t pass me, he will curse you!
God, pass me this time. I will name my clinic after you.
God forgive me this time and help me sail through. I will prepare the next time.
Jesus, if you help me clear the exams, I will light the candle every Sunday at church.
If I pass in this exam, I will visit Tirupati.