Nagpur: Backlog students are up in arms over the Nagpur University exam section’s move to charge winter exam fee. The winter exams are yet to be decided in view of Covid restrictions imposed by the state government.
Students said it was unfair on the university’s part to seek more money when it actually saved substantial amounts in the summer exams, which were cancelled midway in March due to the lockdown.
Many of these students are facing the brunt of financial crisis due to loss of job and businesses.
Earlier too, the students and senate members had sought refund of fee for summer 2020 exam. The students had paid fee ranging between Rs200 to Rs2,000 in January while many had also paid late and super late fees up to Rs4,000 by Feb-March this year.
As the regular exams were never conducted due to Covid-19 outbreak, they feel the university didn’t have to pay for invigilation, answer books, exam centre, photocopying of question mark and other facilities needed in offline mode.
The NU has consistently ruled out refund or fee waiver even amid stiff opposition from different quarters.
Pro-VC Sanjay Dudhe told TOI that the exam section incurs double the expenses on each student than what is actually charged. “For example, a student is charged Rs250 but university spends Rs450 on each paper. Exams are always in deficit,” he said.
Chartered accountant Bhavesh Gehani, a law student who opposed the exam fee after NU failed him, alleged this is an indirect fraud. “They never held offline exam after March, still they are charging us. I paid Rs2,100 and now have been asked to pay Rs6,000 for backlog papers. Half of my previous exam was not held and winter exam too is undecided,” he said.
Gehani added that some of his batchmates are unable to afford the fee and NU must be compassionate in such troubling times.