Missing answer sheets: Students irked, Kerala University VC orders probe, but questions remain

A section of MBA students from Kerala University’s 2022-24 batch has expressed outrage after being asked to reappear for an examination they had already written on May 31, 2024. The reason—71 answer scripts for the Project Finance exam were lost by a faculty member responsible for evaluation.

The students, who had been waiting for their final results, were shocked to receive an email notification from the university about a fourth-semester re-examination. However, the notification did not provide any explanation for the decision. Many of the affected students have already secured jobs, making it difficult for them to sit for another exam on a subject they studied ten months ago.

“We had been worried that something was wrong as for a long time we have been regularly enquiring about the delay in publishing of the third semester results. We wrote the fourth semester final exams and even as we were waiting for the final results, we have been told that we need to appear again for a new examination in the subject Project Finance,” said the angry students.

How did the answer scripts go missing?
The teacher assigned to evaluate the answer scripts informed the examination controller that they were lost while travelling. The faculty member also registered a police complaint in his hometown in Palakkad, stating that the scripts went missing while being transported on his two-wheeler.

Students have criticised the handling of answer sheets, calling it an irresponsible practice. “This is shocking news and exposes the callous manner in which answer sheets are being handled. We want to know why no action has been taken against this teacher who has literally ruined our future.

"How is it possible to write an examination at short notice on a subject we studied 10 months ago? The Kerala University has to ensure we get justice as we are being penalised for no fault of ours,” said another distraught student.

Additionally, students have alleged that there were attempts to suppress information about the missing answer scripts.

What action has the university taken?
Kerala University Vice-Chancellor Dr Mohanan Kunnummal has ordered an enquiry to determine the extent of the issue and the faculty member responsible. A report has been requested, and an urgent meeting has been called on Tuesday with officials handling the examination section.

The university has clarified that students will not be required to pay an examination fee for the retest. However, students argue that this does not address the fundamental issue of fairness, given the time gap.

The controversy has also highlighted concerns over the university’s evaluation system. R.S. Sasikumar, a retired Kerala University employee, pointed out that until recently, answer scripts were evaluated at centralised valuation camps where teachers worked together. "But, very recently that was discontinued, and now teachers can sit at their homes and do the valuation," he said.

Sasikumar also criticised the university’s delay in addressing the situation. “University officials failed to act on time and hence there is serious erosion of credibility. Universities are now being politicised. A way out of this impasse is that the university can give average marks based on past performance of each student for this particular subject and the results should be published immediately,” he said.