Mumbai: Over 100 engineering students from the University of Mumbai (MU) staged a protest at the university’s Kalina campus on Wednesday, demanding the introduction of the ‘carry-on’ policy, which would allow them to progress to the next academic year despite having failed some exams. They also wrote to Higher and Technical Education Minister, Chandrakant Dada Patil, seeking his intervention.
The students pointed out a significant discrepancy between MU and other universities across Maharashtra, all of which have adopted the Allowed to Keep Terms (ATKT) system, allowing students to continue their studies while clearing backlogs.
In their letter, the students expressed frustration over the university’s lack of support, citing the pressure created by a shortened academic year and the inconsistency between the syllabus given during the first semester and the full syllabus used for their ATKT exams.
“Our first academic year concluded in just six months, forcing us to undertake two semesters within this constrained period. This rapid transition placed immense pressure on students, particularly as the results for semester one were released only ten days before the commencement of semester two. Such a timeline did not provide students adequate opportunity to prepare for the semester one KT exams, significantly impacting academic performance,” noted the letter signed by Priyanka Barai, a third-year student who is not allowed to attend sixth-semester classes.
“According to MU rules, students who have failed in any subject in the first year must clear those subjects before third year begins, else they are not allowed to sit in the classes, and effectively lose a year,” Prachi Narwane, another third-year student, told the FPJ.
The students also pointed out that the compressed schedule made it harder to prepare for their ATKT exams, which were based on the full syllabus despite earlier being taught a shortened version.
“We were presented with a reduced syllabus during our initial semester, only to face a comprehensive syllabus in our KT examinations. This inconsistency not only confused but also disadvantaged many students who struggled to adapt,” the letter stated.
Prashant Masule, another third-year student, added, “These are very technical subjects and while we were taught just half of the syllabus, how can we prepare for the ATKT exams which are now being evaluated on the basis of the full syllabus?”
The protest followed a similar demonstration on January 2, where students were promised a resolution within two days but received no further communication.
The students are calling for additional opportunities to clear their exams and the implementation of the carry-on policy, which would allow them to progress despite outstanding exams.
