Chartered Accountants students sitting on agitation outside ICAI’s Hyderabad office for unfair evaluation system

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad chapter of ICAI has asked students to submit a representation which would be sent to the head office.

HYDERABAD: Students of Chartered Accountants (CA) course have been up in arms against the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAI), demanding reforms in its evaluation of answer scripts and provisions of re-evaluation.

As part of the nation-wide protest, students have been sitting on an agitation outside ICAI’s Hyderabad office since this Monday. They have alleged that their years of preparation were marred by marks moderation and faulty correction by the evaluators.  The demand for reform gained momentum last week when the  ICAI released ‘Suggested Answers’ to the May 2019 exam.

“When we compared these answers with the answer scripts we obtained through RTI, many discrepancies came to light. In one case, a student who was supposed to receive 41 marks got just 14. Some answers were not allotted any mark,” said a protesting student, requesting anonymity.

He added that they were so far allowed only to ask for a re-totalling of their marks. So even if there is a wrongly-marked answer, it goes unchecked.

The protesters have sought an amendment to Regulation 39 (4) of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949. The regulation only allows for verification of “whether the candidate’s answers in any particular paper or papers have been examined and marked”, and not for a re-examination.

Another student added that if they failed to clear the exam, they had to wait for six months to reappear. “It is a waste of time and resources, particularly for girls. We face humiliation at home when we ask them for another six months because the family wants us to get married,” said a woman student. The students’ protest has also received support from faculty, who urged the ICAI to amend Clause 39 (4), as it is “abundantly clear that there are discrepancies in the marking.” Speaking to Express, a teacher said: “It is the moral and ethical responsibility of the Institute to take up revaluation. They can’t sit behind the law saying that the law doesn’t permit it.”

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad chapter of ICAI has asked students to submit a representation which would be sent to the head office. “Our president has said that a discussion with students representatives will happen. But these students are unnecessarily taking to the streets,” said, Y Bhanu Narayan Rao, chairman, Hyderabad chapter of ICAI.

Charter of demands

Amend Regulation 39(4) of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 and provide the option of re-correction of the answer sheet
Centralised Evaluation
Prompt redressal of students’ grievances

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com