BENGALURU: A major question paper mix-up occurred on Friday, affecting as many as 14 colleges, courtesy Bengaluru City University (BCU). Fourth-semester undergraduate biotechnology students, who were scheduled to write their Genetic Engineering papers, were shocked to find that while the question papers had retained the title, but the syllabus followed was different, and raised an alarm.
“The question papers had the title Genetic Engineering, however, the content was questions from the old Molecular Biology syllabus which was changed in 2021. Repeaters from pre-2021 had their question papers marked ‘Prior 2021’. However, on Friday, all papers were marked ‘Prior 2021’, including for freshers,” said a biotechnology professor from an affiliated college, who wished to remain anonymous. The issue affected all BCU-affiliated colleges that conduct biotechnology courses.
“The examination was scheduled for Tuesday. The papers were confidential and students complained of the mix-up only after they received the question paper,” another professor said. Following this, faculty alerted the university, following which BCU postponed the examination to a later date. However, this was not the only issue that occurred on Friday, as repeater students also faced an issue, the professor told TNIE.