Punjabi Univerity, Patiala. (Express Photo)
Punjab’s higher education department has written to the registrar of Patiala’s Punjabi University seeking a probe into alleged irregularities committed by the controller of examinations at the varsity, and a report on the same in 10 days.
The letter was sent to the university on January 31. With it is attached a copy of the complaint against the controller, jointly written by all teachers of the university to the secretary, higher education, in December last year.
According to the letter, a copy of which is available with The Indian Express, the entire teaching and other employees staff of the university has alleged that the controller of examination, Punjabi University, Professor Balwinder Singh Tiwana, has been committing irregularities in the examination system of the university, and misbehaves if any professor points out the same.
They have alleged that the university has to provide examination forms to colleges, which are affiliated with the university, free of cost, but the same is not done. Instead, the university charges the colleges Rs 120 per form. Moreover, roll numbers and signature charts to students are not issued by the university and the colleges are managing this work themselves, they further claimed.
They have also alleged that while the university calendar usually mentions examinations dates, this year’s calendar does not.
“As per the direction of the University Grant Commission (UGC), the results are not declared on time and sometimes even next semester exams begin before the result of last semester is declared,” says the letter, adding that even evaluation results are declared quite late due to which students are facing issues.
The staff have also claimed that when the results are declared, a lot of mistakes are committed and wrong marks are also given to students. Moreover, the results are not recorded in a collective gazzette or online.
When the result is sent to the college, it carries information only about students who have passed, and then colleges have to ask the university about the results of students who reappeared or failed, individually. Both students and parents are facing a lot of problems. They alleged that even the orders of printing of question papers are given to the printing press without any prior public notice.
The registrar office, Punjabi University, said the letter of the higher education department has been forwarded to Vice-Chancellor B S Ghumman who will get the matter probed.
The V-C could not be reached for comment.