7 Punjab pharmacy colleges' affiliation to be cancelled over mass copying

The Technical Education and Industrial Training Department said on Monday it would cancel affiliations of seven pharmacy colleges in Punjab after finding mass copying in the exams that took place in the last two months. Directions have also been issued to charge sheet Government Polytechnic College, Bareta, principal Navneet Walia and section officer Anil Kumar, according to an official statement.

Technical Education Principal Secretary Anurag Verma said it was found that answer copies of all the students of the offline examination matched word-to-word and some online solved papers also matched to some extent. He said students opted to answer the same questions during their final year exam. Detailed reports were sought from the Punjab State Board of Technical Education and Industrial Training secretary and principal of the Government Polytechnic College (Girls), Patiala, where the answer sheets of these seven colleges in Sangrur district were sent for evaluation.

Verma said both the reports clearly mentioned mass copying was done in seven pharmacy colleges during examinations held in September and October. "Due process has been initiated to cancel the affiliation of the colleges concerned," he said.

The institutions are: Vinayaka College of Pharmacy, Vidya Sagar Paramedical College, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Pharmacy, Lord Krishna College of Pharmacy, and Krishna College of Pharmacy -- all in Lehragaga. The two others are Aryabhatta College of Pharmacy; Modern College of Pharmacy in Sangrur city. Show-cause notices will be issued to these colleges within a week for cancellation of their affiliation. The examinations of these colleges will also be cancelled and directions have been issued to conduct re-examinations, Verma said.