Mass communication: Gomal varsity students challenge results

Demand rechecking of papers, administration denies allegations.

DI KHAN:

Students of Gomal University’s department of mass communication locked down the office of the department’s chairman in protest on Monday, after being told that 60 per cent of them had failed their first and second-term exams.

The students raised slogans against the university’s administration. They maintained that the administration had deliberately failed them in the exams and demanded that their papers be rechecked. They also claimed that the wife of the chairman of the university’s English language department has been awarded a distinction in exams even when she remained absent in most of the classes.

The students dispersed after the university administration called in the police to maintain order.

One of the students, Attiq Khan, told The Express Tribune that students have either been failed or passed in third division. “We took all the classes and studied thoroughly for the exams, this makes no sense.” He demanded that the papers be rechecked by an impartial group of teachers.

“By graduating in third-division, we will not be able to secure jobs in this age of competition,” said another student, Rehman Khan.

Mass Communication Department Chairman Salim Pervaiz, when contacted, rejected the allegation levelled by the students. He maintained that the papers were marked fairly as per the department’s merit policy.

Moreover, he denied that 60 per cent of the students had failed their exams. A total of 21 students appeared in the exams, of whom one failed in only one paper and that too because the student remained absent on test day. He maintained that the wife of the chairman of English department is a “good and regular student” and assured that there has been no violation of merit.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2012.