Academic problems: 1,700 students face delay in semester exams
We were charged a double fee and still the money was not sent to SU, say students.
Mismanagement: 533 students of Institute of Modern Sciences and Arts were not issued admission slips for their exams because their exam fee was not paid to the university. PHOTO: FILE
HYDERABAD:
A case of financial mismanagement by a private college, affiliated with the Sindh University, has deprived over 1,700 undergraduate and postgraduate students from taking their semester exams. The situation elicited a strong reaction from the students who vandalised the campus of their college, Institute of Modern Sciences and Arts (IMSA), and also held protests.
The semester exams for the BBA, BCIT, BCS and MBA in 15 affiliated colleges of the university began from July 11 in different cities of Sindh. Except IMSA, students of the rest of the colleges have been taking their exams.
“We are being punished for the college authorities’ mismanagement,” complained a BBA second-year student, Mansoor, at the protest. According to him, around 533 college students were not issued admission slips for their exams because their exam fee was not paid to the university.
“The college collected the registration and exam fee from all the students. So how come it’s the students bearing the brunt for a lapse on part of the authorities?” asked Sarah Khalid, a BCIT student.
The students also complained that besides the examination fee, an illegal late fee was also charged by the college. “The university charges Rs4,800 exam fee for MBA. But the college fleeced students by charging as much as Rs4,800 extra as the late fee,” an MBA student claimed, requesting not to be named.
Money matters
According to the SU spokesperson, Nadir Mugheri, the college defaulted payment of Rs1.7 million to the university on account of examination and registration fee of 533 students. “We are also receiving complaints along with receipts from the students that the college made them pay late fee even though the varsity had waived it.”
He told The Express Tribune that the college did not even pay the annual registration fee, which is Rs3,500, collected from its students at the beginning of the semester. “We sent IMSA around two dozen reminders in the last six months to clear the dues but they didn’t respond.”
For now, the IMSA students have been told to wait until a new date is announced for their semester exams. Some students fear that the delay may even go up to six months until the next semester exams are taken.
“We have already spent around 18 months to complete just the second semester’s class work of the 24-month MBA programme and we have two semesters till go,” bewailed an MBA student, Shahrukh. “It seems that we will end up squandering some eight to 12 months more than the stated 24 months time before we can get the degree.”
The college, he told, charges Rs2,600 monthly tuition fee in addition to Rs4,800 semester examination fee, Rs3,500 registration fee and Rs1,500 enrollment fee.
No one was available from IMSA to respond to these allegations.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2013.
A case of financial mismanagement by a private college, affiliated with the Sindh University, has deprived over 1,700 undergraduate and postgraduate students from taking their semester exams. The situation elicited a strong reaction from the students who vandalised the campus of their college, Institute of Modern Sciences and Arts (IMSA), and also held protests.
The semester exams for the BBA, BCIT, BCS and MBA in 15 affiliated colleges of the university began from July 11 in different cities of Sindh. Except IMSA, students of the rest of the colleges have been taking their exams.
“We are being punished for the college authorities’ mismanagement,” complained a BBA second-year student, Mansoor, at the protest. According to him, around 533 college students were not issued admission slips for their exams because their exam fee was not paid to the university.
“The college collected the registration and exam fee from all the students. So how come it’s the students bearing the brunt for a lapse on part of the authorities?” asked Sarah Khalid, a BCIT student.
The students also complained that besides the examination fee, an illegal late fee was also charged by the college. “The university charges Rs4,800 exam fee for MBA. But the college fleeced students by charging as much as Rs4,800 extra as the late fee,” an MBA student claimed, requesting not to be named.
Money matters
According to the SU spokesperson, Nadir Mugheri, the college defaulted payment of Rs1.7 million to the university on account of examination and registration fee of 533 students. “We are also receiving complaints along with receipts from the students that the college made them pay late fee even though the varsity had waived it.”
He told The Express Tribune that the college did not even pay the annual registration fee, which is Rs3,500, collected from its students at the beginning of the semester. “We sent IMSA around two dozen reminders in the last six months to clear the dues but they didn’t respond.”
For now, the IMSA students have been told to wait until a new date is announced for their semester exams. Some students fear that the delay may even go up to six months until the next semester exams are taken.
“We have already spent around 18 months to complete just the second semester’s class work of the 24-month MBA programme and we have two semesters till go,” bewailed an MBA student, Shahrukh. “It seems that we will end up squandering some eight to 12 months more than the stated 24 months time before we can get the degree.”
The college, he told, charges Rs2,600 monthly tuition fee in addition to Rs4,800 semester examination fee, Rs3,500 registration fee and Rs1,500 enrollment fee.
No one was available from IMSA to respond to these allegations.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2013.