Mumbai : The students of Mumbai University will no longer have to wait for months for the verification of their mark sheets and degree certificates for securing employment and in quest for higher education.
This is because the university has decided to put all documents online. This will not only facilitate students, but also employers, particularly foreign employers.
The decision was taken during the Senate meeting held on Tuesday on the Fort campus.
At present, students have to do rounds of university campus, file applications, submit verification fee ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,000, and then have to wait for no less than two months.
Senate members pointed out that on several occasions students had frittered away job opportunities due to delay on account of verification of documents, which takes two months in normal circumstances.
Bindu Praksh Mishra, a senate member, claimed that he had receipts in which students were charged Rs 4,000 just for verification of a document.
Mishra said, “This is exploitation of students. The delay on account of this department is jeopardizing students’ job prospects in foreign companies, as often they do not have the luxury of a month’s time for document verification. It is no different when students are seeking to go overseas for higher education.” He also underlined the presence of private agents in the verification department, who act as middleman.
Responding to this, Vice Chancellor Dr Rajan Welukar said, “We are planning to upload all degree certificates online, so that any employer or education institute can have easy access to it, with permission of the concerned student.”
Meanwhile, a few Senate members have pointed out that Dr Welukar should pay the legal fees of his recent court battle from his pocket on moral grounds. Pradeep Sawant, a senate member, said, “The Vice Chancellor should pay the legal fees from his pocket and he should not pass the fiscal burden on the university.’’
Another Senate member Supriya Karande said, “It would be an injustice to students, if this fiscal burden eats into funds allocated for them.”
