Need one-time solution for tech glitches: University of Mumbai senate

MU senate, over two days last weekend, highlighted the need for the university to invest more on digitising the varsity as a permanent solution.

The recently concluded annual senate meet of the University of Mumbai (MU) once again brought the attention towards a permanent solution to technical glitches disrupting routine work. MU senate, over two days last weekend, highlighted the need for the university to invest more on digitising the varsity as a permanent solution.

University of Mumbai. (HT FILE)

The senate, comprising elected and nominated members including principals, teachers and management members, works as a watchdog for the university. The body has the power to approve the varsity’s annual budget.

“Thousands of students from the Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) missed out on their first online exam in October last year due to an apparent ‘cyberattack’, which also was the reason for all IDOL exams to be postponed. Till date, no one has given any explanation for the attack or shared any report of the investigation,” said a senate member, demanding clarity.

MU pro-vice-chancellor Ravindra Kulkarni, who chaired the senate this year, assured the senate members that the cybercrime department of the Mumbai Police is still investigating the matter and a report in the matter will be shared soon. He further clarified that the technical error during IDOL exams was not a cyberattack but a denial-of-service attack created due to excess users logging on the website at the same time. Many senate members also questioned MUs preparedness for online exams.

This year, due to the ongoing partial lockdown, the annual MU senate meet was conducted virtually. Spread over two days, many senate members demanded that MU allocate funds in the annual budget for 2021-22 solely for “digital university”. “We (university) cannot be struggling for solutions every time a problem surfaces. There cannot be stop-gap arrangements anymore. We need a permanent solution because lives and futures of lakhs of students are at stake,” said another senate member.

MU has allocated around ₹1 crore for digital university at present and plans to raise more funds in the near future to support this plan.