The North Bengal University (NBU), north Bengal’s oldest and largest varsity located on the outskirts of Siliguri, finds itself at a crossroads yet again following the retirement of the varsity’s controller of exams.

On Tuesday, the last day of 2024, Debasish Dutta, the NBU controller of exams retired.

Dutta’s retirement has compounded the institution’s administrative woes. The varsity is already facing problems for not having a permanent vice-chancellor for long.

“From today, there is no controller of examinations at the NBU, which has triggered uncertainty over the upcoming exams. Without a new person in the post, there are doubts whether the exams can be completed on time,” said a senior faculty member of the varsity.

He said that examinations of the first and third semesters of postgraduate courses
were initially planned for January this year but were postponed.

“Now, without the controller of exams, it is difficult to arrange the exams,” he added.

Sources said Dutta’s retirement added to the concerns of varsity students, who were already worried by the absence of a permanent VC.

“If the exams are not conducted on time, we might face inconveniences in pursuing our further studies,” said a resarch-minded student at the NBU.

Samar Kumar Biswas, the NBU Teachers’ Association president, called the present situation at the varsity "unacceptable" because of several reasons.

“The absence of a controller is disappointing. Recently, even when he was there, confidential work and the exam process was being conducted by a private agency. This is unacceptable. The state government should immediately act on it,” he said.

Swapan Rakshit, the NBU joint registrar, said the issue would be looked into.

“We have informed the state higher education department about his (Dutta’s) retirement. A replacement will be appointed soon,” he said.

A section of employees and faculty members pointed out that the absence of a permanent VC piled up problems for the varsity.

“No convocation has been held since 2017. Students who have submitted their thesis for doctoral programmes are yet to receive their degrees. This delay leads to frustration and anxiety among students,” said an employee.