KOCHI: It was the sudden disappearance of names from the roll list that first left the students of Mar Athanasius (MA) College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, puzzled. They later realised that names of students facing a year back had been left out from the list.
“We came to know about the requirement only when we were about to register for the fifth semester. The credit requirement had been changed, but there was no prior communication on the notice board or in the WhatsApp groups.
However, when the roll list was published, the names of students who had a year back were missing,” said a classmate of Michi Marpu, a third year BTech student at the college who was found lying on the floor with a rope around his neck at his rented residence in Kozhippilly on Saturday.
Police said the postmortem examination of the student indicated that he died by hanging. His body will be taken to his native place in Arunachal Pradesh by a flight at 9.45pm on Monday. Following Marpu’s death, students staged a protest outside the college, demanding compensation for Marpu’s family and accountability from the college management.
They said the management had not given them anything in writing even after a meeting held on Sunday. “The college needs to take accountability. We want the management to take responsibility and resign. We will not return to classes unless our demands are addressed,” said a student.
Students alleged that the college’s year-back system and the manner in which it was implemented had put several students under considerable academic pressure. The college’s current system seeks a 22-credit requirement and Marpu had secured 19 credits.
They alleged that had the requirement been 18 credits, as followed by other engineering colleges under the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, he would not have faced a year back. Students said they had approached the college principal seeking withdrawal of the 22-credit requirement.
However, they were told that the system was part of the autonomous academic criteria of the institution and could not be changed. They said 23 students were initially placed under year back, though some subsequently obtained transfer certificates and left the college.
Around 15 students currently remain affected. They had also raised the issue with Higher Education Minister after the fifth semester commenced, yet no action was taken.
Meanwhile, college officials said the credit system had been introduced for the academic well-being of students. “Unfortunately, the situation has taken such a turn. Changes to the credit system are being considered, but such a decision cannot be taken solely by a college official. It will have to be considered by the appropriate board,” the official said.