The Vice-Chancellor of Kashmir University has granted a “one-time concession” to the “innocent” PG students who had been admitted due to official lapses despite not having the required number of 24 credits at the undergraduate level which could allow their entry into PG programs as per the eligibility norms.
KNT is in possession of a notification dated 8 April 2022 wherein the Vice-Chancellor Prof Talat Ahmad has approved the one-time concession to PG students having less than 24 credits in all departments of the university.
“The Vice-Chancellor while taking a lenient view and keeping into consideration the recommendations of the committee constituted for the purpose, has been pleased to allow continuation of admission in favour of the candidates as having been admitted for the pursuit of PG programme (session 2021-22) with less than 24 credits in the Core/Generic Elective in the subject concerned at the UG level as a one-time concession to save the academic career of students,” the notification says, adding that the concerned Head of the Departments shall obtain an undertaking duly sworn in before 1st Class Magistrate from such candidates to the effect that they will earn the deficient credits before appearing in their fourth semester examination.
The issue surfaced when it came to the notice of the university authorities that several candidates had been admitted to PG programmes without having the mandatory 24 credits in their Core/Elective papers in the concerned subject at the UG level. These students, however, had said that they were not at fault because the university’s online admission form did not have the option of 24 credits which could block their submission of applications in case of having less than 24 credits.
A KU HoD who spoke to the news agency Kashmir News Trust (KNT) said soon after the students raised a hue and cry in the press and said the university authorities were trying to penalize them for the fault of the university, the Vice-Chancellor chaired a meeting of the Admission Advisory Committee on March 14, 2022, which decided that the admission of “ineligible aspirants had been cancelled three months ago”.
“It was given out by the university itself that no such admissions have taken place. But now the Dean Academic Office has suddenly issued a notification regularizing all such admissions, thus confirming that such admissions had indeed taken place due to the fault of the University,” the HoD, who wished anonymity, said.
Sources said the Dean Office had received reports from many HODs that such admissions had taken place and such students were continuing with their classes for the last one semester and could not be punished for the university’s own faults and failures.
“Some HoDs have clearly said that the Directorate of Admissions should have been very careful and should not have allowed submission of forms of such candidates in the first place apart from cross-checking the credentials of students in advance. How can students be punished now after they sat in the full semester and also sat in the first semester exams?” the sources said. “Some HODs even said that the admission process should be made foolproof in future so that the image of the University is not put in a bad light.”
Sources said the matter was again discussed by the university officials with the VC on the 5th of April for “reconsideration” in view of the plea of students and the fact that the fault lay with the university and not of the students.
“The VC approved the concession to save the career of students. The officials acknowledged that the whole fault, in this case, was of the university’s Directorate of Admissions which should not have accepted the forms of such students at the time of submission,” they said.
On their part, the candidates have appreciated the University of Kashmir VC for granting them the concession.
“We are grateful to the VC sir for considering our plea. We were not at fault because we had qualified the entrance examination. If our credits were less, why our application forms were accepted by the Directorate of Admissions?” the aggrieved students said. (KNT)