The Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Bengaluru, has extended the deadline to August 9 for readmission as none of the students caved in even after they were threatened with losing their seats in the course after they missed the earlier deadline of July 31.
The student's protests against readmission after failing one or two of their semester's subjects has compelled NMIMS to push the deadline to August 9. However, after weeks of appealing and protesting, the university still hasn't found a workable solution, which has further agitated the students with the examination department's responses to their complaints via The Free Press Journal.
Counter replies
When asked whether a 9-day notice was enough for the students to prepare for a retest, the university replied, “At NMIMS, we give every student a chance to clear their backlogs by offering a re-exam, which takes place approximately a month after the results are declared.”
Circumstances and emails, however, say otherwise. According to emails and timetables set by the university, the chronology of results, re-evaluation and retest fall in the timeline of 20 days, much less than a month and the students got just nine days to effectively prepare for a retest.
The results of the first attempt examination were declared on June 2, 2023. Students who failed sent their answer sheets for re-evaluation on June 4 the results for which were declared on June 14. They were to appear for the retest scheduled on June 23 which gave them just nine days to prepare.
NMIMS plays by the books
Further, NMIMS claims to give its students the Choice of request for re-evaluation, while taking away the right to understand where these students lost marks, guidance before their retest or even contacting the evaluator. As quoted previously, Director, Dr Ramachandran said, "NMIMS doesn't have any policy where the faculties have to explain the students' mistakes in answers and grounds of marks deduction."
The university also said in its response, “We understand how important it is to communicate, so we have explicitly outlined all the reassessment opportunities and procedures in our Standard Rules and Procedures (SRP) document provided to students during orientation. They can be referred to at any time, and is available on the NMIMS website.”
While it may be a standard rule, an exception was made earlier in May when 'special exams' were held to clear backlogs. The students felt it was unfair as their repeated requests for the same were denied.
Students agitated and worried
NMIMS in their response to the FPJ assures students that they have a fair chance of grade improvement. An agitated Law student from the protest retorted saying, “Faculties deny helping out students by guiding them with their mistakes. Evaluation is anonymous, students can't seek guidance from the evaluator directly. How does the college expect the students to improve their grades without knowing the mistakes?”
"While the ethical way is to hold your institution in high morals, it is sad that as a law student, I am compelled to use the very education they gave me, against it," the student added.
After their protests, students now have either caved in to taking readmission saying the mental stress of losing a year is far more than paying the high fee. Some have also withdrawn from the course since they have to go back a year and are thus taking lateral entries to other colleges that are rather reluctant as the course mapping of NMIMS doesn't match up to a 70%.
The School of Commerce too has students who were part of the protest on July 31 and have little or no hope in their reexam results due on Friday, August 4. A fourth-semester BBA student said, “Of the 50 students, just one student passed in the re-evaluation, rest all 49 students have had absolutely no change in marks. We are very scared.”
