By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: In June, Mohammad Adnan Hilal, a student of a Srinagar-based polytechnic college, committed suicide after he found out that he had failed his exams. However, on re-evaluation, it was found that he had not only passed the subject but in fact, topped his class. But this was not a stray incident: Jammu and Kashmir State Board of Technical Education has now been questioned by students across colleges for allegedly awarding extremely low marks to students in practical papers.
The students pursing different technical courses in the Valley, who hitherto complained only among themselves against the Technical board for deliberately failing them to mint money from re evaluation and re exam fees, have now come out in the open to protest against the board and its practices after the suicide of Adnan.
The results declared on November 16 by the Board saw 97 percent of candidates who appeared in the exams for first, second, third and fourth semesters of their respective branches fail their papers.
Another case of mass failing of students in Women’s Polytechnic Bemina has come to fore, with about 50 students failing their English subject, surprisingly not in theory papers but practical exams conducted by their own college lecturer.
The students have alleged that despite scoring 70 to 80 percent in theory exams, they have failed in their subjects due to the unfriendly attitude and deliberate attempt by the concerned lecturer who conducted their English practical to fail them .
Some of the students have further alleged that the concerned college lecturer who was assigned to conduct English practicals have failed students mostly from Medical Laboratory Technology, Food Technology and Garment Technology owing to some personal grudge against the students.
The concerned students who failed in English practicals have passed their theory exam in the said subject with good numbers, with some of students getting 70-plus marks out of 100. In the semester exams of technical Board, theory forms the major part of total marks. According to J&K Technical board rule book, marks less than 40 percent in theory and practicals are treated as fail.
One of the students, who got 80 marks out of 100 in theory exam and 13 out of 25 in sessionals, has been awarded zero marks in practicals out of 50.
“I could never imagine that I would fail in English. I have a very good hold on the subject. If I can get 80 marks in theory, am I not capable of even getting pass marks in practicals, which is very easy? I had given all the answers which the concerned English lecturer had asked,” said Ishrat Jahan who is studying Medical Laboratory in Women’s Polytechnic Bemina.
Another Student, Rahat Salati, who passed theory by 71 marks failed in practical despite her claim that she did answered every question in practicals.
“In our English practical, 50 marks are given in viva and the file. I had submitted the file and the concerned lecturer had asked me two questions about group discussion which I had flawlessly answered. Initially the result came as a rude shock for me as I had done very well in English theory and had never thought that I could fail in practicals. But when we received our marks cards, there was another shock waiting for me; it was obviously the English practical marks which had failed me,” said Rahat.
The students have wrote to their college principal about the matter who in turn have forwarded the complaint to secretary technical board who looks after examination process.
While briefing Twocircles.net about the issue, the principal of Government Polytechnic for Women, Srinagar, Shaista Shameem said, “Even I felt that the students who are able to pass all other subjects are failing only in English practical. I have forwarded the written complaint of students to secretary board with recommendation for reassessment. We haven’t yet received any response from the board. Actually there is another problematic aspect attached to this matter, as if it would have been the case of theory exams then we could have re evaluated the answer sheets, but in the case of practical’s we don’t have any proof because it depends all upon the teacher what marks he/she wants to give.”
The college lecturer who has allegedly failed students has refuted the allegations and termed them as baseless.
“The students don’t take their practical exams seriously. That is why they have failed and there is nothing personal in this,” the concerned college lecturer who conducted the English practicals told TwoCircles.net.
The Minister of Information Technology, Technical Education, Molvi Imran Raza Ansari was not available for comments as he was attending a meeting when TCN tried to contact him.
In the suicide case of Adnan, the government ordered the compulsory retirement of the teacher who had evaluated the answer script. However, the important question remains: How much time will the technical board take to mend its ways and award marks to students in a transparent manner?