GANGTOK, 19 July: A group of six students have been shuttled between the Sikkim Government College here and the Sikkim University office for twenty days now, stunned by wicked administrative impassivity which could end up pushing them out of the college system, wiping out four semesters [2 years] that they have already completed. What is distressing the students even more is that the reason being presented to explain their ouster from the college system came as a surprise to them. They insist they had never been informed of the situation and believe that they are being to suffer for clerical oversights and disinterested administration, neither of which they have any control over. What is worrying is their contention that many more students have been similarly affected and have dropped-out without protest. They, however, refuse to sacrifice two years of education without trying to get heard.
This group of six should now be in the fifth semester, their final year in college, and were shocked when, on 30 June, they downloaded their 4th semester results to read this: “Pass. Not Promoted. Improvement paper not cleared.”
Apparently, these students had failed in one subject in their first semester. For such cases, Sikkim University apparently promotes the students to the next semester with the rider that they pass an improvement paper in the 3rd semester. The students insist that they were not informed of the need to clear an improvement paper and support their contention of clerical oversight by pointing out that they were promoted from 3rd semester into the 4th without any mention of the improvement paper they had still not taken.
If this improvement paper was to be taken in the 3rd semester, then, apart from being informed, they should not have been promoted into the 4th semester either, they point out. Now, it appears, someone noticed the oversight and told them they were out after they had completed two years in college and have only one more year to go.
The students stress that if they would not have complained if they had failed and add that they have no problems with the university rules either. What they cannot comprehend is why they are being made to suffer when it was obviously the fault of the university and their college in not having informed them about the situation.
What is worse is that authorities at both, the college and the university refuse to recognise the unique nature of their case. These students, now that they have learnt they have an improvement paper to clear, are willing to take the exam and want the authorities to realise that they are victims of a clerical error and allow them to continue their studies.
Unfortunately, no one appears to be bothered at understanding their situation. The college appears to have institutionalised denial and directed them to the university. Even if the matter was not in their hands, one expected them to consider their case and present it clearly to the university. No such gesture was forthcoming, and the students have been making rounds of the college and university since 01 July.
The university has not been very understanding either and remains stuck in its stand, quoting rules even though in this case the affected party was never informed about the conditional promotion awarded to them a year and half ago.
It is obvious that the colleges have not been informing students properly about the new rules, dodging all accountability by pointing to the university, but what cannot be ignored either is that the university too has been slack in briefing the students about the changed system. Complications are expected, but one also expects these to be resolved with priority on the interest of students. This does not appear to be happening.
Today, it is learnt, the university decided on their case. Although the final decision is not known, it is obvious that the university has not understood their case and will, in all probability, not allow the students to join the 5th semester, at least not yet. It was perhaps not planned that way, but the final decision came conveniently after the admission process had closed at the colleges.
This group of six should now be in the fifth semester, their final year in college, and were shocked when, on 30 June, they downloaded their 4th semester results to read this: “Pass. Not Promoted. Improvement paper not cleared.”
Apparently, these students had failed in one subject in their first semester. For such cases, Sikkim University apparently promotes the students to the next semester with the rider that they pass an improvement paper in the 3rd semester. The students insist that they were not informed of the need to clear an improvement paper and support their contention of clerical oversight by pointing out that they were promoted from 3rd semester into the 4th without any mention of the improvement paper they had still not taken.
If this improvement paper was to be taken in the 3rd semester, then, apart from being informed, they should not have been promoted into the 4th semester either, they point out. Now, it appears, someone noticed the oversight and told them they were out after they had completed two years in college and have only one more year to go.
The students stress that if they would not have complained if they had failed and add that they have no problems with the university rules either. What they cannot comprehend is why they are being made to suffer when it was obviously the fault of the university and their college in not having informed them about the situation.
What is worse is that authorities at both, the college and the university refuse to recognise the unique nature of their case. These students, now that they have learnt they have an improvement paper to clear, are willing to take the exam and want the authorities to realise that they are victims of a clerical error and allow them to continue their studies.
Unfortunately, no one appears to be bothered at understanding their situation. The college appears to have institutionalised denial and directed them to the university. Even if the matter was not in their hands, one expected them to consider their case and present it clearly to the university. No such gesture was forthcoming, and the students have been making rounds of the college and university since 01 July.
The university has not been very understanding either and remains stuck in its stand, quoting rules even though in this case the affected party was never informed about the conditional promotion awarded to them a year and half ago.
It is obvious that the colleges have not been informing students properly about the new rules, dodging all accountability by pointing to the university, but what cannot be ignored either is that the university too has been slack in briefing the students about the changed system. Complications are expected, but one also expects these to be resolved with priority on the interest of students. This does not appear to be happening.
Today, it is learnt, the university decided on their case. Although the final decision is not known, it is obvious that the university has not understood their case and will, in all probability, not allow the students to join the 5th semester, at least not yet. It was perhaps not planned that way, but the final decision came conveniently after the admission process had closed at the colleges.
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