The APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, a state government university in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, has decided to seek an explanation from 82 teachers for the grave errors while evaluating the seventh-semester BTech (Bachelor of Technology) exam papers. The decision was taken after the Syndicate, which comprises of 12 members, including Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, met on Monday. Out of the 2,08,226 exam answer papers that were evaluated, 24,854 answer papers were re-evaluated. Following this, 24% of the students, who failed in the exam in the first evaluation, passed in the re-evaluation, while 34% of them got higher grades, said an official statement of the University.
As per the rules of the University, which is also called the Kerala Technical University, the re-evaluation fee is refundable if there is a difference of 15 marks in the re-evaluation. Accordingly, 2,617 students are now eligible for the re-evaluation refund. In 627 answer papers, the difference in marks was more than 25. There were 250 answer papers with a difference of more than 30 marks and 30 answer sheets with a difference of more than 40 marks.
Notices will be served to 57 teachers initially. In the 15% of the exam papers they evaluated, the difference in the marks was 15. An explanation will also be sought from 25 teachers. The difference in marks in the papers they evaluated was 10.
In January this year, the University had introduced a conditional "review" system for students who fail in both the evaluation as well as the re-evaluation. Officials said that the review system was introduced as there were several complaints from students even after the publication of re-evaluation results, as well as to help deserving students. Accordingly, 18 deserving students, who failed after the re-evaluation, were given pass marks, although the exact criteria to qualify for the review system is unclear.
At the meeting on Monday, the syndicate also approved the recommendations submitted by the examination sub-committee on the conduct of examination and evaluation. Additionally, the body also decided to set up supervisory committees consisting of senior teachers and headed by principals at district-levels for conducting examinations. An appellate committee with principals as heads will be constituted to address the complaints of teachers on disciplinary actions.
In the mass exam cheating case that was recently reported in many colleges during a B Tech Supplementary exam, where students used WhatsApp to copy answers, the Syndicate decided to file a complaint with cyber police, based on the reports from four colleges concerned.