Nagpur: In its fifth reshuffle this academic year including four in summer, the Nagpur University exam section has postponed 28 exams which were scheduled for May 28 in the wake of the ensuing bypolls for Gondia-Bhandara constituency.
With the latest reschedule, 241 exams have been rescheduled between November 2017 and May 2018. In summer, the NU is conducting over 1,000 exams out of which over 201 have been rescheduled.
Interestingly, both the first and the latest reshuffle of exams have been because of elections. On November 25, the NU had conducted its statutory body polls and it being a Saturday, 38 exams were affected. However, this was the only disturbance in the exam schedule in winter exams.
In summer, the exam section as well as students are at the receiving end of either mismanagement by the NU top brass or the factors which are beyond the university’s jurisdiction. The first reschedule, though unnecessary, was done as the exam dates clashed with the 105th Convocation, which was planned at a later date.
The convocation hit 129 exams which were then slated for April 8 as the exam section hoped it wouldn’t affect other exams by holding them on a Sunday. Unfortunately, the JEE (Main) exam fell on April 8 and again the new dates had to be fixed. These exams were finally conducted on April 9.
Before the exam section could heave a sigh of relief, the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) wrote to NU asking that it would need most of colleges as exam centres where NU exams are scheduled for holding the MH-CET.
Again, it was unexpected that the DTE would be holding the state-level entrance on a working day, that is, May 10. The NU had to shift 45 exams for both May 9 and 10 as the centres had to be handed over a day before the exam.
Given the badly affected exam schedule, NU senate member from Bhandara Pravin Udapure had written to the ECI requesting it to exempt university teachers and colleges premises from poll duty. However, the appeal didn’t cut ice with the ECI which would be taking over the colleges as poll booths and assigning duties to teachers.
NU officials said the request was also turned down as holiday would be declared on the polling day.