THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Can the former Syndicate members and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala be held responsible as the varsity answer sheets recovered from the house of a student of University College were issued during their term in office? Higher Education Minster K T Jaleel’s statement blaming the varsity’s former administrators for the fiasco has evoked a sharp response from them.
Former Syndicate members say Jaleel’s new ‘spin’ to the row is an attempt to pass the buck to the previous UDF-dominated Syndicate and silence opposition protests.It is also aimed at covering up the irregularities committed by University College authorities, they allege. They say Left-affiliated teachers of University College who were entrusted with conducting the varsity examination should be brought under the scanner.
The chief superintendent of university examinations in a college is usually the principal.But in bigger colleges, a senior teacher will be appointed as chief superintendent by the varsity’s Controller of Examinations as per the request of the Principal.
He will be assisted by an additional chief superintendent — another senior teacher of the college. The examination answer books (24 pages) and answer sheets (four pages) are under the safe custody of the chief superintendent. The university periodically tops up the answer sheets and answer books at the examination centres according to their requirements.
Each answer book issued by the university is serially numbered. An examination centre may use old answer book which is already available in the stack room of the college or new answer books depending upon the discretion of the chief superintendent.
The only condition is that he should record the same in the relevant proforma issued for the purpose by the University. “It is pertinent to note that in the University College, the student illegally possessed 16 university answer books of 24 pages each. The Chief Superintendent is primarily responsible for this malpractice as he is the sole custodian of answer books in the college centre,” said a former syndicate member.
Inaction by varsity
As per Kerala University statutes, the present Vice-Chancellor should have asked the Controller of Examinations to remove the chief superintendent and the additional chief superintendent from their posts when the malpractice came to the fore. “With the VC washing his hands of the matter and the Minister passing the buck, the real culprits are set to go free,” the former syndicate member said.