The Dimapur Naga Students' Union (DNSU) has highlighted irregularities in the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) exams by Nagaland University (NU)
DIMAPUR — The Dimapur Naga Students' Union (DNSU) on Friday highlighted what it described as serious irregularities in the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) semester examinations by Nagaland University (NU), warning of taking democratic action if students' grievances remain unaddressed.
Addressing a press conference at its office in Dimapur, the union said that students have complained about facing recurring problems, including incorrect marks, and an unusually high number of backlogs, since the introduction of the FYUGP in 2023.
The DNSU had submitted a formal representation to Nagaland University on July 22 seeking immediate intervention.
Shedding light on the grievances, DNSU Education Secretary Kevin Gonmei said that students who score single-digit marks in external examinations are ineligible to apply for re-evaluation, as the university's rule require them to secure at least 20% marks or 15 marks in external exam (75 full mark) to qualify for it.
"A student, who received single-digit marks in the external examination but scored 21 out of 25 in the internal assessment, came to our office today. The college principal confirmed that the student is not academically weak,’ he said, while noting that sixth-semester students, who have a backlog, have to waiting an entire year, thus affecting higher education plans and job applications.
The DNSU also alleged two other irregularities. It claimed that students whose marks improve by more than 20% after re-evaluation are entitled to a refund of the re-evaluation fee, but many have not received the refunds.
The union further alleged that colleges are charging varying re-evaluation fees ranging from INR 450 to INR 900 per paper, against the prescribed fee of INR 300 per paper, thus placing financial burden on families.
Also read: FYUGP results: All Nagaland College Students' Union raises concerns over alleged discrepancies
With the deadline for submitting re-evaluation applications set for July 31 and no response yet from the university, DNSU warned that it would resort to democratic means of protest if the issues remain unresolved, while expressing hope that the university would address the matter promptly.
A student claimed during the press conference that evaluation-related issues have persisted since the introduction of the FYUGP. Recalling an incident that happened in the second semester, the student claimed that a majority of Political Science students had initially received backlogs in one paper, but all of them passed, with some securing A and A+ grades, after re-evaluation.
The student urged Nagaland University to acknowledge the scale of the problem, saying many affected students remain silent despite facing similar hardships.
A sixth-semester student said many with good academic records from the first to the fifth semester are now facing their first backlogs, because scoring less than 20% in external examinations despite secured over 80% in internal assessments.
‘We wrote the papers and know how well we performed. Single-digit marks are simply impossible,’ said the student, adding that the only alternative is to file a Right to Information (RTI) to NU, which is also a financial burden.
Asserting that they deserve the opportunity to have discrepancies corrected, whether it is an evaluation error, a data-entry mistake or an administrative lapse, the student appealed for waiving the 20% eligibility requirement in cases where errors are evident.
Another student demanded accountability from the university and sought a full refund of re-evaluation fees paid because of alleged evaluation errors.
Appealing to the All Nagaland College Students' Union (ANCSU) to take up the issue with the varsity, the student further claimed that the names of some students were missing from the results list, leaving them confused and uncertain about their academic status.