Students have been openly alleging that the examination system of Distance Education in Kannur University is a bundle of chaos.

As per the recently announced results, around 80 per cent of students who appeared for I year BA, BSc and BCom degree examinations have  failed.

Expected results have not been registered in optional and language subjects too. Students have observed that the results are biased.

Distance Education students and their parents have complained that the answer scripts of regular students in private and government colleges and that of Distance Education have been separated during valuation.
More than 50 parallel private colleges in the district are imparting tuitions to the Distance Education students, and now it is the turn of their lecturers to be amazed at the results.

Though there is a UGC-guideline that the answer scripts of regular and distance education students should not be separated while valuating, the varsity examination department has neglected the direction, the students alleged.

Parallel tuition colleges are receiving a fee which is 25 per cent less than the private colleges, and the flow of students towards them has been increased considerably nowadays which in turn has affected admissions to the private colleges.

Bringing pressure
Hence, rumours are making rounds that the private colleges are bringing pressure on the varsity to affect the results of the students getting tuitions in parallel colleges.

There are also allegations that the study materials to be supplied by the University to the distance education students have not been distributed properly.

Though the examination of II year students are scheduled to commence on April 30, the varsity has not sent the text books directly to the students but is distributing them through its centres. However, the students complained that the centres have not received all materials. In an interesting incident, the results of some of the students had been withheld for the reason that they had not submitted their assignments of internal assessment.  But of late, the submitted assignments were found thrown haphazardly in a room! It is also surprising that though the university is providing study materials to all other subjects, Kannada language students are not getting any material for the past 3 years despite repeated requests.

Suresh K Edanadu