JOIN USKSOU's exam goof up; Fine Arts students caught in crossfire
The Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) bungles up again. This time, inconveniencing as many as 32 Bachelor of Fine Arts students from across the country and the globe, who have come to Mysore to write their final degree exams.
On Friday, the students who have taken up the course at the Sri Allammaprabhu Lalithakala Academy, Mysore, (KSOU’s collaborative institution) were issued with out of syllabus paper (History of Visual Arts), forcing the institution to approach the varsity, asking it to hold a re-examination on Sunday.
But the varsity rejected the proposal citing technical problems, asking the students to write the exam again next year. The students, most of them professionals, complained of being seriously inconvenienced, and they were seen doing everything in their capacity to ensure that would not to lose out on an entire academic year. However, little did they realise that they were caught in a crossfire between KSOU and the collaborative institution.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Sunil Kumar, a 52 year old pharmaseutical professional from Viajaywada said that when the students, including two senior citizens and an Iranian citizen, sat down to write the theory paper in painting on Friday morning, they were in for a shock.
None of the ten questions (20 marks each) were part of the syllabus. When the college authorities were informed about the same, they were asked to wait at the examination center. “But till late noon there was no news. The college however informed us that the paper had been postponed to Sunday.
We resolved to the fact, thinking that this would not inconvenience us. However, we were later told that KSOU had informed the college that the exam could not be held on Sunday, and that we have to re-appear next year. This had all of us worried. We have submitted a memorandum to the varsity, requesting it to conduct the exam on Sunday itself,” he said.
Blame game
K J Suresh, Registrar Evaluation, KSOU, said that the Chairman of the BoE has to be held responsible for the confusion, and that the varsity would conduct the re-examination only if the students submitted a written complaint to him.
“The Chairman of the BoE is directly responsible for this problem. The University had constituted the committee with about five panel of examiners about two to three months ago itself. It looks like there has been no coordination between the panelists and the Chairman. The Chairman is ultimately responsible for scrutinising the papers before sending it to the varsity. KSOU would very much want to help the students. But the re-exam cannot be conducted on Sunday.
“Moreover, the students are required to submit a written complaint. Only then can this matter be furthered,” he added. Suresh also said that once the complaint is received, then the varsity will have to refer the matter back to the college, which will in turn set a fresh paper.
When contacted, Dean of Allammaprabhu Lalithakala Academy, D A Upadya however pinpointed towards the varsity.
“KSOU failed to constitute the BoE, in spite of me contacting them twice in the last two months. The varsity appointed me as the chairman of the committee, and asked me to scout for the panelists. When I approached the panelists, they turned down the offer, stating that they have to be appointed by the university. I conveyed this message to the varsity - to no avail. I finally scrutinised the papers myself and sent it across to KSOU. I only checked for grammar, spellings and marks. I could not go through the entire question paper,” he said.
The students have now been informed that they will be given a date shortly to write the said paper. “We have no choice. We have to seek leave again, and bear additional financial expenses and come back and write the paper. It is however going to be very difficult for housewives with children,” added Sunil Kumar.