Mumbai student loses BEd seat owing to misplaced answer sheet

Student received a copy of supplements four months after applying for re-evaluation, but not the original answer sheet to which they were attached

More than six months after the exam was conducted, University of Mumbai (MU) officials recently found a ‘misplaced’ answer sheet .

MU officials said re-evaluation of answer booklets will take less time as compared to regular assessment. (HT file)

Although the varsity has sent it for re-evaluation, the student to whom the answer sheet belongs said it was too late because she has missed the deadline to seek admission for Bachelor of Education (BEd) course.

“I had scored just 17 marks in my Advanced Economic Theory. Hence, I opted for re-evaluation and sought a photocopy of the answer sheet on August 31. Four months have passed and I’m still waiting for re-evaluation result,” said Minakshi Patil, a third-year BA student.

Patil received a photocopy of her answer sheets last week, but was taken aback upon discovering that the main booklet was missing. “I was given a copy of the supplements I had attached to the main answer sheet. I knew something was wrong,” she said.

It took a visit to the examination and evaluation department to find out that the main answer booklet was missing.

“This can be the reason for delay in getting re-evaluation result,” Patil said, who wanted to apply for BEd course for which she cleared the Common Entrance Test (CET) earlier this year.

“Since my graduation certificate shows I have failed in one subject, I’m ineligible for admissions. Even if I manage to clear the subject post re-evaluation, it’s too late because admission process ended in October,” she added.

Patil will now have to appear for the CET next year so that she becomes eligible for admissions in 2018.

She also sought help from Yuva Sena. On Wednesday, party members met MU officials and managed to secure a copy of the main answer booklet.

“The university plans to send this answer booklet for re-evlauation now, but the student has already been forced to waste an academic year,” said Sainath Durge from Yuva Sena.

MU officials told HT that re-evaluation of answer booklets will take less time as compared to regular assessment.

“In this particular case, the student’s answer booklet has been found and evaluated too. But we will re-evaluate it avoid discrepancies and release her final mark sheet soon,” said an MU official.