MBBS paper valuation faulted

First year students, parents want re-evaluation and not re-totalling of marks

Some portions of answer sheets ignored during evaluation, allege students

?Zero marks awarded to some questions, which cannot be corrected in re-totalling’

VIJAYAWADA: Objecting to the manner in which their answer sheets were evaluated, several students of MBBS first year and their parents on Saturday demanded that the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTR UHS) ensure justice to them by bringing in transparency in the entire process. They gathered on the university premises here in view of the ongoing re-totalling of marks.

Speaking to the media, the students bemoaned that in the re-totalling of marks they were not getting justice even though ?some portions of their answer sheets had been ignored during evaluation?. Some students lamented that very low or zero marks were awarded to some questions and this could not be corrected in the re-totalling.

Transparency sought

K.S. Kumar, a parent from Guntur, said that a large number of students were affected because of improper evaluation of first-year MBBS papers this year. ?This kind of a situation was reported four years ago. Once again, it happened and has caused misery to our children. There should be transparency in the system,? he said. He demanded that instead of re-totalling of marks, answer sheets should be totally re-evaluated, so that students would not be put to any inconvenience.

Another parent, Kamal Kumar B. said that almost all the students who came for the re-totalling of marks were unhappy over the manner in which their answer sheets were evaluated. He took objection to the argument of the university officials that the pass percentage was over 80 and that there was nothing amiss in the evaluation. He demanded that the university authorities provide a certified copy of the answer sheets at the request of the students under the Right to Information Act (RTI). There was a court order regarding the issue of providing certified copies. One Mr. Srinivas, who studied a PG medical course, approached the court and it issued an order asking the authorities concerned to provide certified copy to him, he recalled.

When contacted, NTR UHS Registrar T. Venugopala Rao said that the committee that re-totalled the marks in the presence of each student completed its job on Saturday and would submit a report to the Vice-Chancellor. There was no provision in the rules for revaluation of answer sheets but a decision would be taken by the Vice-Chancellor in three to four days, he said.

Source:DC