Not content with evaluation

The Karnataka Pre University Board has made provisions for those students who feel that their answer scripts have not been marked or evaluated fairly.

The system of redressal provides three options. Retotalling of marks, revaluation of answer scripts and photocopies of the valuated answer scripts to be made available to the students who can then check their answer scripts themselves and apply for the marks to be changed accordingly if they feel dissatisfied with the results.

Retotalling of marks costs Rs 200 per subject, photocopies of answer sheets costs Rs 300 per subject and revaluation of answer sheets costs Rs 750 per subject. So do students feel that the current system that has been put in place to address the issue is satisfactory?

The forms can be easily downloaded from the net but are available in only one language — Kannada. This puts several students at a distinct disadvantage. “It should be printed in both English and Kannada if they really wish to make the system user-friendly,” was the general consensus.

“I applied for revaluation in Physics, after I got photocopies of my answer script. I felt that there were some areas where I could have scored more marks. Unfortunately, when I got my new marks I was shocked to find that my total was reduced by 14 marks — I just scraped through! There was nothing I could do as we cannot apply for photocopies of the revalued scripts,” says Gaurav a degree student. “I have friends who lost marks on revaluation and those who gained upto 20 marks bringing their total upto 40. Unless you have failed and have nothing to lose, many of us feel it’s safer not to take a chance with revaluation if your marks average in the fifties,” he says.

“The system need to be more transparent and student friendly.The Pre University Board does not really inspire much confidence in general as compared to the valuation done by Central boards like ISC, which come across as more efficient and fair.

We all have a good idea of what marks to expect after our exams but when we fall below target we definitely need a system of redressal which is approachable and easy to access. For most students, the very thought of going through the process is a deterrent,” says student Aakash Rao.

 “With all the stress involved with competitive exams and gaining admission to the right college, every mark counts in the final analysis. It is very important for students to have a system in place that inspires confidence and a sense of fairness. With such a large number of scripts to evaluate, it is to be expected that errors and biases will occur.

It is good that we can get photocopies of our answer scripts and check where the fault lies,” says student Deepika Suresh.