The examination board of Jadavpur University has “noted the administrative lapses” in the conduct of the ongoing semester exams, resulting from the faculty council’s decision to hold special exams for the students who did not write the May 6 and 7 papers.
A member of the board said the first and second-year students did not write the papers scheduled for May 6 and 7 following an assurance from the dean of engineering, Chandan Majumder, to the students’ union in the engineering faculty about the special tests.
“The administrative lapse stems from the fact that the faculty council, instead of referring the matter to the examination board, decided to hold the special exams. The meeting where the decision was taken was presided over by the dean of engineering,” said the member of the examination board.
When contacted by The Telegraph, the dean said: “I won’t comment as I was not present at the meeting of the board (where the board ‘noted the administrative lapses’).”
Parthapratim Roy, the general secretary of the teachers’ association, said said the faculty council’s decision had disrupted the examination process, allowing students to dictate terms.
A resolution adopted by the board at the May 10 meeting said: “The examination board recommends that such serious lapses on the part of the administration should be brought to the attention of the executive council so that appropriate action can be taken by the council to prevent dilution of the examination system.”
The examination board has resolved to invite proposals from the board of studies by May 20 for the “remedial measures”, under the university’s statutory provisions, for those who did not write the May 6 and 7 papers.
Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya, a pro vice-chancellor who attended the examination board meeting, said: “We are awaiting the proposals from the board of studies.”
The semester examinations in the engineering faculty had started on 22 April.
The Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union had on May 2 raised demands like holding online exams or assignment-based exams on the portion of the syllabus that had been taught.
The agitating students had kept the dean confined during a meeting of the faculty council on May 5 to press their demands.
After that, the council took the decision to hold the special exams for the students who would abstain from writing the papers on May 6 and May 7.
“A meeting of the faculty council was called again on May 6 to decide what to do if the students skipped the remaining papers, too. But this time members of the council resolved that such decisions could only be taken by the examination board.
The council also requested the board to review the council’s decision the previous day on the special exams,” a JU official said.
