The state government circular of making 100 per cent attendance mandatory for teaching and non-teaching staff on campus to hold the examination of professional and non-professional courses from October 1 has left those residing in Navi Mumbai shocked. They say that it will be difficult for them to reach the campus in time as transportation is not available adequately.
After Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari approved the state government’s plans to allow students to appear for the final year examination of professional and non-professional courses from home, the Higher and Technical Education Department (HTED) issued a circular on Friday, making it mandatory for 100 per cent of its teaching and non-teaching staff to be present on the campus for examination preparation and evaluation until October 31.
Sampurna Mehta, a senior faculty at a professional college in Worli, says that he has already been asked to prepare a bank of 250 questions that will be asked in the examination. “There is no clarity why a bank of 250 questions is needed when the examination will be held with only 50 multiple choice questions,” said Mehta. He added that even after the examination, all teaching and non-teaching staff will have to be on the campus for evaluation and other clerical work. “We are not allowed to use the train as it is only for essential services. Reaching Worli from Nerul will be a challenge every day,” said Mehta.
Similarly, Lata Pawar, a faculty at a management college in Andheri, says that she cannot afford a cab to reach the campus. “At present, once a week, I have to visit the campus for some paper work. I go by a cab that costs around Rs 700 to Rs 900. I cannot afford to go every day in a cab,” said Pawar.
Many teachers, who work on contract, say that their salary has been slashed by around 50 per cent and they are not in a position to commute by cab. “Even if the state government allows us to travel by train, the frequency is poor. We will be always in threat of being infected by the virus,” said a clerical staff member of Mumbai University, who requested anonymity.
