JNUTA demands better guidelines for evaluating candidates

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association on Friday demanded that a consultation be held across the varsity to evolve guidelines for conducting viva voce and evaluating candidates in a fair manner. The demand comes in the backdrop of allegations by students and teachers that there were anomalies in the process of admission to PhD programmes of the university, in particular, the discrimination faced by students belonging to marginalised sections.

"All data, in the past, pertaining to the final selection, including the marks obtained by candidates in written and viva voce examinations were posted on a notice board by the administration. However, this practice was stopped a few years back and candidates are now only provided information about their own marks," the JNUTA said.

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The teachers’ body demanded that the university administration make public all data regarding the marks scored by various candidates as was done in the past. "JNUTA also demands that a university wide consultation be initiated so as to evolve guidelines for conducting viva voce and evaluating performance of applicants in a fair manner. At the moment, there are no clear guidelines in the university about how interview boards should be constituted and candidates be evaluated," it said in a statement.

There have been allegations that in some centres, chairpersons have unilaterally taken decisions about the process to be followed, indicative of prima facie evidence of unfairness in the selection process, it said. However, the university administration denied the allegations. JNUTA said it stands with the demands that have been made for transparency in the admission process.

“The endeavour to institutionalise a free and fair process of access represents a challenge which must be given utmost priority and satisfactorily addressed without any delay,” it said.

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JNUTA also urged the university administration to reinstate the system of deprivation points that existed for applicants at the PhD level, and review the impact that the changes in admission policy, including outsourcing of the conduct of Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Exam (JNUEE) to National Testing Agency, has had on the overall student profile of the university.

"This is necessary in the context of repeated allegations that students from deprived backgrounds face increased exclusion in the new system, and strengthen affirmative action so as to minimise inequity in institutional access to higher education," it added.