The Mumbai University (MU) has made it mandatory for all colleges to set up on-screen marking (OSM) centres to expedite paper correction and ensure that results are declared on time.
All principals have been asked to get their teachers to start using the system and ensure that the number of papers assessed is 150% of their student strength. The MU will be issuing certificates to colleges that complete paper correction using the system. The certificates will be taken into consideration while granting various permissions to colleges such as increasing intake capacity and enrolments.
The MU conducts over 500 exams for over 2.5 lakh students every year and the OSM system was introduced in the academic year 2017-18. However, technical issues with the online paper assessment system led to delays in paper corrections and declaration of results, and even collapse of the university’s exam schedule at a point. The Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, mandates that results should be declared within 30 to 45 days after the last exam. However, even last month, on March 13, a protest was held by law students on the MU campus demanding timely declaration of results. Vice Chancellor Dr. Suhas Pednekar said that the primary objective of making assessments using the OSM system mandatory is to declare results on time as it is crucial for the careers of all students.
‘Sort out glitches’
A principal, on condition of anonymity, said that the OSM system is effective in checking malpractice in paper correction and tampering of mark sheets by non-teaching staff, but the university must sort out the technical glitches.
He said, “At times, the software takes forever to scan and upload answer sheets. Teachers get papers of wrong subjects and even logging in takes very long. It gets tiring to stare at the screen for long durations. Why is the MU taking time to introduce facilities like face recognition, which will allow teachers to check papers from home? It did permit teachers to check papers from colleges near their homes, but all colleges don’t have sufficient computers.”