Mumbai University blunder: Over 1 lakh certificates with ‘University of Mumabai’ typo sent to colleges | FPJ
Mumbai: After Mumbai University mistakenly printed 1.5 lakh degree certificates, Yuva Sena claimed that the university had already sent 1.25 lakh certificates to colleges. Among them, 111 colleges have so far returned the incorrect certificates, with some still pending, the Yuva Sena claimed.
Yuva Sena Senate member Pradeep Sawant and former Senate member Rajan Kolambekar visited the office of Deputy Registrar Dr. Himmat Chaudhary, who informed that new certificates would arrive at the university within the next ten days and would be distributed immediately.
A university spokesperson, however, said that corrected certificates were already arriving at the university and that some colleges had started to receive them as well. “Corrected certificates started arriving earlier this week and since Thursday, we have also started sending them to the affiliated colleges,” the spokesperson told The Free Press Journal.
The issue first came to light when convocation certificates bearing the misspelt name “University of Mumabai” reached students, contradicting the university’s earlier claims that the erroneous documents had not been distributed. While a university spokesperson attempted to shift the blame onto affiliated colleges, principals and student representatives have refuted this claim.
The spokesperson stated that the university had identified the error around 15 days ago and had alerted all colleges. However, several principals denied receiving any official communication on handling the matter.
Last week, multiple colleges began returning the certificates upon discovering the mistake. Despite Mumbai University’s assertion that only 1,000 faulty certificates had been printed, Yuva Sena claimed the actual number exceeded one lakh, with thousands already reaching students. Institutions such as S.A. Podar College have confirmed receiving the erroneous documents, with the Free Press Journal having access to them.
Yuva Sena has demanded that all incorrect certificates be returned immediately and that students who have received them be issued fresh, corrected versions at the earliest. Sawant criticised the university’s handling of the matter, alleging that the disciplinary committee formed to investigate the incident was merely a cover-up.
“We requested the inclusion of a student representative in the committee, but the university refused. This raises serious doubts about whether they genuinely want to uncover the truth or simply hide their mistakes,” he said.
On Monday, Yuva Sena Senate members met university officials and submitted a memorandum calling for a thorough inquiry into the error, strict action against those responsible, and blacklisting of the Hyderabad-based private agency contracted for printing the certificates. While errors in students’ names and details have been a recurring issue, this marks the first instance of the university’s own name being misspelt on such a large scale.
The convocation ceremony for the 2023-24 batch took place on January 7, with over 1.64 lakh students graduating. However, the university’s oversight has led to widespread frustration among students and college authorities, who continue to demand accountability and immediate rectification of the blunder.
