A large group of paramedical students at Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri staged a protest on June 25, accusing Jammu University of major irregularities in their exam results.
They blocked the Rajouri-Dhanore road, boycotting classes to highlight their grievances. Students claim that out of 44 examinees, 40 failed – mostly in Physiology and Biochemistry, raising concerns of biased grading.
They also raised objections to being denied answer-sheet revaluation, an option available to other courses, and criticised the imposition of a Rs 3,000 fee for a supplementary exam as arbitrary.
Salman*, an aggrieved student, highlighted the systemic delays plaguing paramedical education. “The course duration is 3.5 years – three years of study and a six-month internship. I took admission in 2021 and was supposed to finish by 2025. Our final-year exams, scheduled for July, are still uncertain,” he told EdexLive.
He added that students from the 2020 batch, who should have already graduated, are still stuck in the same cycle. “Those who got admission in 2020 before us are still caught up in this quagmire. GMC and Jammu University keep shifting blame onto each other. While 2020 students from Kashmir University have already graduated and moved on in their careers, those from Jammu University are still doing their internships.”
The disparity between students of the two regions is stark. “The same is happening with our batch as well. Our first-semester exams were held 19 months late. I joined in November 2021 and still haven’t completed my exams, while my peers in Kashmir University have already completed their three-year course and are now doing internships,” he said.
He stressed that three batches, their seniors, his own batch, and even juniors, are all caught up in this administrative tangle. “The entire schedule – from courses to exams – is in mayhem. The university is supposed to release exam results within two months, but it typically takes six to eight months. This delays the supplementary exam cycle too. At this pace, I will get my degree only in May next year.”
Calling it an outcome of “bureaucratic laxity and institutional apathy,” Rahman*, another student, said this has taken a severe toll on students’ career plans. “We don’t even have basic infrastructure like hostels or a proper library. Many students have taken personal loans hoping to clear their exams on time. It’s extremely depressing,” he told EdexLive.
Highlighting further issues in the already delayed academic process, students have now raised serious concerns about irregularities in exam results as well. The results of the last semester's exam, announced on June 19, reveal a startling figure: only 40 students out of 262 passed, resulting in a pass percentage of just 14%.
Students say they have been running back and forth between the university and the college, pleading with both administrations to look into the matter, but have been met with nothing but blame games. “They keep shifting responsibility, while we’re stuck watching our careers collapse. It’s disheartening,” said one student.
“We’ve been appealing to the administration to at least acknowledge this crisis – that’s a basic right. Is that too much to ask for?” said another. “It feels terrible to waste our time protesting and running errands for something as fundamental as academic scheduling and fair evaluation.”
The students are demanding either the timely completion of exams moving forward or a one-year relaxation for those who have backlogs, so they can appear in the final exams without further delay.
Other student bodies have also extended their support to the protesting students. “Whatever excuses the university and college have come up with are nothing but a facade to hide their incapacity and lack of responsiveness,” students said, reiterating that the crisis is no longer just academic, but a matter of trust.
Police arrived at the scene on June 25 and assured students their demands would be forwarded to higher authorities. Following this assurance, the protest was temporarily called off. However, the students warned they would resort to a hunger strike if re-evaluation isn’t allowed prior to the supplementary exams.
Principal Dr AS Bhatia expressed concern over the lengthy delays, as results came seven months late, and questioned the incongruence between the question paper and the prescribed syllabus. He pledged to raise these issues with the University’s Controller of Examinations.
BSc Paramedical courses generally include Medical Lab Technology, Radiology, Operation Theatre Technology, Anaesthesia, Dialysis, Optometry, and Cardiac Care, among others. These professionals play a vital role in supporting doctors, conducting diagnostic tests, managing emergency care, and ensuring smooth clinical operations. Though mostly working behind the curtains, their contribution is crucial in running an efficient and responsive healthcare system.
* Names changed to protect the sources' identity.
