TIRUCHY: Two days after TNIE broke the story about the delay of nearly five months in issuing provisional certificates and mark sheets to thousands of students, the controller of examinations of Bharathidasan University sent an email to colleges affiliated to the university on Tuesday asking them to submit marks obtained by students under ‘Naan Mudhalvan Scheme’ (NMS) for issuing the credentials. Several students were facing difficulty in pursuing higher education and getting jobs because of the delay in getting the certificates.
NMS is a mandatory course in all government colleges. Last year, when it was introduced, students were asked to enrol for the course in one semester each in all three years of undergraduate study. The government partnered with major companies to conduct skill development modules under the course. This year, NMS has been made mandatory for both semesters every year, sources said.
The email pointed out that several colleges were yet to submit mark details of ‘Naan Mudhalvan Scheme’ (NMS) courses, part 5 (extracurricular activities), or had stated MNA (Mark Not Available). The email titled, ‘Naan Mudhalvan Course Marks, Part 5 and MNA Marks-Most Urgent’, said, “It is immensely (important) to provide cumulative mark statements and provisional certificates to the left over passed out students in the April 2023 batch who were not able to get them. Hence you are advised to submit the marks immediately.”
‘NMS admin, university responsible for the delay’
Earlier, when TNIE reported about the issue, the university claimed mark sheets and provisional certificates had already been sent to colleges and there was no delay. However, the email showed the university had not even received marks from some colleges.
The principal of Trichy College said, “Both NMS administrators and the university are responsible for the delay. Every year, final exams of the university start in April third week and results are out before June. Students would receive their mark sheets by July. This year to accommodate NMS, the exams started on May 17 and ended in June last week.”
“The single point of contact in each college under the scheme received vocational marks from companies under NMS only in mid-August. The colleges were directed to send copies of NMS marks to the BDU’s controller of examination by August end. Though my college had sent all the marks to the controller’s office within the deadline, many of our students are yet to get cumulative mark sheets,” he added.
When TNIE contacted V-C M Selvam, he said, “Every college has different scenarios and delay could be due to various factors. There was a delay in colleges obtaining NMS marks from companies. However, if there are issues within university administration, I will inquire it.”