Post re-evaluation by JU, marks go up for most History candidates

Kolkata: The re-evaluation of admission test answer scripts of History by external examiners conducted by Jadavpur University has witnessed significant change of marks for a number of students.

"There have been around 15 changes in the revised selection list of 70 that we have prepared after re-evaluation. There are a total of 70 seats in the History department," said Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, registrar of JU.

15 candidates, who were on the waiting list after the earlier admission test, have made it to the selection list after re-evaluation.

It may be mentioned that there have been some cases when a student, who had scored 6 marks out of 100, has got 32 after re-evaluation.

"The questions were subjective in nature and the evaluation pattern of subjective questions vary from teacher to teacher," Bhattacharjee claimed, when asked about the changes in the revised list.

JU had decided to conduct the review of the scripts on August 8, after there were several complaints with the earlier evaluation pattern in which teachers of JU's History department were involved. A number of students who had scored 90 percent or above in Higher Secondary or equivalent examinations, had got less than 10 in the admission test.

There were a total of 344 scripts that were re-evaluated. The expert panel that was constituted for the review had external examiners, including one from outside West Bengal.

The external examiners had submitted the scripts to JU on August 13 and on August 16, a three-member panel (all external) did a scrutiny before bringing out the fresh list. "The earlier list stands cancelled," the JU registrar said.

State Education minister Partha Chatterjee, in response to the change in the revised list, said: "If you see the marks of all the students who had gone through re-evaluation, there has been increase in marks in case of most of the students. Now, the varsity will decide whether this episode has enhanced or demeaned the prestige of JU. The increase in marks has turned out to be a subject of enquiry. I hope that the Vice-Chancellor of JU will look into the matter and if someone lodges a complaint with the state, we will interfere," Chatterjee said.

The registrar announced that admission on the basis of the revised selection list will be held on August 20 and 21. The waiting list will come into effect if there is vacancy after taking the 70 students from the selection list. Classes will start right from the next working day.