Students seeking revaluation fee refund turned away

Nagpur: After the exam section declared all revaluation results last week, it was caught off guard with successful students seeking refund of revaluation fee citing vice-chancellor SP Kane's commitment. Confusion persisted as Kane reitierated his decision while the exam section officials said they were were clueless about it.

On Wednesday, many students whose marks were changed following revaluation reached exam section to ask for refund of the fee they had paid to challenge the original valuation. They had to return disappointed as the both exam section and finance & accounts section have not put in the procedure of refund in place even a year after Kane's decision.

The students were made to run from pillar to post as exam section officials refused to entertain any query related to refund of revaluation fee. In October 2016, VC Kane had announced revaluation fee would be refunded if it resulted in change in marks. VC then tabled the proposal in Management Council meeting after last Diwali vacations where it was okayed. It was to be implemented from summer examinations of 2017.

When exam section refused to entertain refund applications, some students approached the VC and the Pro-VC's office. The staff there too refused to accept the applications. "At both places, the staff told us the exam section doesn't come under them," the students told TOI. They couldn't meet director of examinations and evaluation Neeraj Khaty and the VC as both were busy in a meeting at the campus.

VC Kane said there was no doubt the revaluation fee would be refunded to eligible students. "The students need to provide their bank accounts details along with an application. From next exam, a column for bank account number will be added in revaluation forms so that in case of change in result, the amount would be directly refunded and there would be no need to apply."

Khaty didn't answer TOIs calls. But last week he had said the modalities of refund were yet to be finalized. "On October 7, the matter would be put up before the Board of Examinations. After that, the management council would consider it followed by the finance and accounts section," Khaty had said.

NU's exam Section is biggest revenue earner for the university with annual collections of over Rs50 crore from examinations fees and revaluation charges.