The Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the Visvesvaraya Technical University (VTU), Dr S Vidyashankar in an exclusive conversation with EdexLive spoke about the issue of the 'Year Back' scheme which students have deemed as grossly unfair and a source of their distress.
Current VC claims exceptional performance of students
The VC, refuting the students' allegations, stated that the regulation has not been newly imposed and has been in effect for years now. Additionally, the VC claimed that the university results have soared due to the rule.
"This year VTU recorded exceptional results. The pass percentage was close to 96%, while the rest of the 4% of students also included drop-outs. Due to the scheme, our students have become more meticulous, and it mirrors in their performance," said Dr Vidyashankar.
As per an official notice, dated August 23, 2023, the 'Vertical Progression' or the Year 2022 scheme mentions, "Students having 'F' grades for the courses totaling to more than 16 credits in the 1st and 2nd semesters of the first year of the programme shall not be permitted to move to the 2nd year." Additionally, students failing to qualify for the Continuous Internal Evaluation (CIE) and those unable to meet the mandated attendance criteria will also have to repeat the course whenever they become eligible.
The VC noted that the rule is strict and was only relaxed once, specifically for the COVID-19 batch."'Year Back' scheme — fluid and simplified"The former VC of VTU, Dr Karisidappa called the 'Vertical Progression' scheme fluid and simple. On the implementation of the scheme, he said that with time, the scheme has been accommodating to the problems faced by students and has been made more flexible.
Dr Karisidappa, who served as the VC till September 2022, told EdexLive that unless there are many arrears or it is seen that the student is performing poorly, the university does not declare them ineligible for promotion, and there are existing provisions of supplementary exams which can help students clear their backlogs.
"Students have to be careful and mindful of the rules and regulations in place. Any flagrant violation of them cannot be entertained," the former VC stated.
No added burden on students
Although students raised concerns about the extra burden of paying fees for an additional year, both officials clarified that students are not required to pay fees for the year they must repeat. It is also not mandatory for them to attend classes.
"Students who are keen on attending theory classes may take permission from the officials of the institution, and can easily attend the classes," said the VC. However, he added that the internal marks of the students will be carried over from the previous year and they will not be allowed to re-appear for them.
On October 9, a delegation of students from various districts in Karnataka travelled to the VTU head office in Belagavi to voice their objections to the rule, but their concerns were not addressed.
The students have also raised concerns about unfair evaluation practices in several institutions, claiming their answer scripts are assessed unjustly and that they have become pawns in a larger scheme orchestrated by these institutions.