Over a thousand reportedly fail in one ‘easy’ subject
Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 25
Over a thousand final-year undergraduate students of Nagaland University (NU) would purportedly lose one academic year due to suspected grading discrepancies in their 6th semester Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP). The issue stems from the provisional undergraduate Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) even-semester examination results declared on July 13.
As earlier alleged by the Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU), the History paper registered an abnormally number of failures with several reporting unusually low scores, further compounded by a policy that bars students, who scored low marks, from applying for re-evaluating their marks.
On July 25, a group of five students held a press briefing at the DNSU office, divulging what they held were scoring discrepancies, and calling on the university to intervene before the July 31 re-evaluation deadline. All five of them requested anonymity.
Under the current NU evaluation guidelines, only students who secure a minimum of 20 percent of the total external marks — which equates to 15 out of 75 marks — are eligible to apply for a re-evaluation. Those scoring below this threshold, including numerous students who received single-digit scores, cannot have this privilege.
One of the students expressed shock at scoring only single-digit marks in the external examination despite scoring 21 out of 25 marks in internal assessment.
One paper in particular— Political History of the Nagas, allegedly recorded a high number of low scores. Described as a fairly “easy” paper, the student said it was too glaring to be passed off a coincidence. “Most of the students from the History department from overall Nagaland... got a backlog in this one paper. This is not a mere coincidence,” he said.
The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) previously submitted a representation on July 22 to the NU Controller of Examinations. According to the union, under the FYUGP guidelines, backlogs in the earlier semesters do not prevent promotion. However, a backlog in the 6th semester halts progression to the seventh and eighth semesters. A single backlog in the final semester halts an outgoing student's academic progress, delaying graduation by an academic year.
Financial strain was cited as another grievance. While university regulations prescribe a fee per paper for re-evaluation, students reported that individual colleges are charging varied rates ranging from Rs 450 to Rs 900. Furthermore, students claimed that the university does not refund fees to those who eventually pass after re-evaluation.
The students recalled a similar incident during the second semester in the Political Science paper where many failed but subsequently passed with A or A+ grades after re-evaluation, raising further questions regarding the accuracy of the initial evaluation.
Under current rules, the only alternative for students who scored below 20 percent is to file a Right to Information (RTI) application.
Besides the DNSU, the All Nagaland College Students’ Union had also called for reviewing the results declared on July 13, while urging the University authority to sticking to the prescribed Rs 450 fee per paper.
With the July 31 deadline approaching, colleges reported inability to take any action without a directive from the NU. The affected student and the DNSU warned of democratic agitation if the university fails to address the grievances.
In a separate media briefing, DNSU Education Secretary Kevin Gonmei stated that since the introduction of the FYUGP in 2023, undergraduate examinations have faced recurring issues, including grading errors and excessive backlogs across Nagaland. He criticised the university administration for failing to address it. He held that the prevailing evaluation policy is unfair to students, who receive single-digit scores due to lapses beyond their control. “If the concerned authorities and leaders, those who are heads, if they cannot take responsibility, they shouldn't be the head,” Gonmei said.
