mid-day editorial: An overhaul, not repair, is what MU needs

Prior to their exams, countless people have nightmares of reaching the exam centre late. For students of S H Kelkar College in Devgad, however, this nightmare came true on August 9. They were told at 11.30 am that their viva voce (orals) for the semester end had started at 11 am at an exam centre 500 km away in Mumbai.

Given the fact that oral exams account for 40 per cent of the total marks, none of the Rural Development students could have ever imagined missing the crucial test. But little option did they have when the Mumbai University directive reached them on the morning of the exam. Though the test has been resc­heduled, this kind of fumbling and the resultant disorder are indicative of the chaos in the varsity.

MU is already facing flak for its flawed online assessment system that endangered the careers of hundreds recently by delaying results. The last thing it needed was a breakdown in its own communication channels. But all these indicate a deep-rooted problem.

When such inexcusable gaffes take place, students stop respecting the varsity. The university, in fact, becomes the butt of jokes and derision. By ridiculing and blaming its teachers or evaluators for the result delays, or any other gaffe for that matter, the varsity is insulting and tarnishing its own image. It's offering students the opportunity to scoff at the administration for its ineptitude.

Perhaps, what's most unfortunate is the fact that people have come to expect such blunders from MU. A communication lapse of this magnitude is unforgivable. A quick but thorough investigation into how it happened is the need of the hour to plug similar occurrences. The time for repairs is long gone. Mumbai University needs a complete overhaul to rescue its reputation.