KOCHI: A Syndicate meeting of Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU), scheduled for Thursday, will give its nod for issue of certificates of nearly 200 postgraduates and 600 graduates of the autonomous Sacred Heart College at Thevara here. The issue of certificates was put on hold after anomalies were detected in the evaluation pattern followed by the college.
The Hindu has reliably learnt that the meeting will accept the recommendation of the varsity’s academic council that the certificates be issued as a one-time measure considering the future of the students. The issue of certificates to postgraduates of the 2014-16 batch and graduates of the 2014-17 batch was put on hold after the university found that the evaluation scheme followed by the college was different from that of the varsity.
However, a Kerala High Court order, dated August 9, 2017, had directed the varsity to issue degree certificates in accordance with the law and “as per the provisions of the Act, 2015” pertaining to autonomous colleges. It said the university had been directed to consider the requisitions made by the petitioners (the college authorities) in accordance with the law and take suitable steps to finalise the proceedings at the earliest and at any rate within two weeks from August 14.
The order also observed that the board of studies of the college was to ensure that the academic programme conformed substantially to the duration, number of credits, evaluation, and grading system prescribed, if any, by the university.
In its reply to the petition filed by the college management before the Kerala High Court, seeking an order to issue degree certificates, the varsity had pointed out that the college authorities had issued mark list in the mark scheme with grading on a 10-point scale, while the university had issued grade cards on a four-point scale.
The varsity had also argued that the college authorities should submit the qualifying certificates of the students for verification, as there had been several cases of admission being offered to ineligible candidates.
The college authorities said the university had directed them not to issue provisional certificates to its students, even though their certificates were not issued by the university within the 45-day time limit. It also alleged that the varsity had not issued certificates even after almost 10 months of submitting the recommendations made by the college.