Mumbai University law students fret over delayed summer semester exams, results

Last week, the university declared the pending results of law exams — semesters III and V for three-year LLB programme and semester IX for five-year programme — held between December and January.

Mumbai University law students, who are yet to take their summer semester exams, are worried of delayed results that could affect their higher education plans.

Last week, the university declared the pending results of law exams — semesters III and V for three-year LLB programme and semester IX for five-year programme — held between December and January. The delay in results of winter semester exams has now pushed the summer semester exams to June. Students are now concerned that the university will publish the results late, like last year.

“It took the university almost four months to declare results of exams held in December and January. We are worried that a similar delay will put students’ future in jeopardy. Many have plans for higher studies, some even plan to go abroad. Usually, exams are over by May. This time, it has been postponed to June,” said Sachin Pawar, an LLM student of the university and member of Students’ Law Council, a forum for law students.

Amol Matele of the Nationalist Student Congress said, “There are around 5,000 students in LLB alone. Many have plans to study abroad, the process of which begins in June. They are already late in applying.” Matele has written to the university, demanding that all law results should be declared by July 31 or face protests.

Following the unprecedented delay in results in April last year, which had led to the ouster of Vice-Chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh, officials of the Board of Examination and Assessment had introduced a flurry of reforms to avoid a delay in future. However, results were delayed yet again. While law results were declared as late as last week, around 5,000 MCom students are still awaiting their third semester results almost six months after their exams.

“The reforms brought in by the university have clearly not worked well. The chaos is only getting worse. Pushing exams further will not provide a solution. Revaluation results are not out yet,” said another LLB student on condition of anonymity.

The Board of Examination and Assessment has reiterated that the reforms will help the university tide over the summer semester exams smoothly. Vinod Malale, the spokesperson for the board, said the team had plugged the gaps in the assessment process and it was the university’s priority to declare results on time.

Over 465 exams across all streams — Humanities, Commerce, Science and Technology and other interdisciplinary studies— are being held as part of the summer semester examinations between April and June. While the exams were initially on schedule, a delay in winter exams has led to postponement of at least six papers, including for law faculty which is scheduled from June first week.