Marred by scams, will Pune University’s image go for a toss?

The recent scams in University of Pune have shaken the city.  Known for its invaluable contribution to make Pune the ‘Oxford of the East’, the UoP exam department’s alleged revaluation malpractices and the dummy candidate racket at a city college have left the student community dejected. While some of the officials and students involved in the scams have been arrested, is it time for the varsity to outsource its exam process system? Speak Up gets you the details...

There is no doubt in the honesty and credibility of all senior level officials of UoP
It is very unfortunate if the alleged scam is true involving the examination department officials of  the University of Pune. Firstly, in my opinion, there is no doubt in the honesty and credibility of all senior level officials. To avoid such things from happening in the system, the process and operation machinery involved must be very open and transparent. The highest officials must always keep a track of activities that are happening under them.

The biggest concern as of now is that the image of the university doesn’t get dented. Such matters will occur but as the whole nation is watching the news and the university practices are followed by others as a benchmark, the matter must be resolved immediately. The university administration will surely look into the matter and come out with the truth.

— Arun Nigavekar, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Pune

During our times, nobody would think of taking money to speed up work
The problem lies in the system, which is corrupt. When an organisation is centralised and activities  are carried out on a mass scale, it shows that the management is not able to cope up with the work. The problem is whom should we really blame as our whole social character is deteriorating. During our times, nobody would think of taking money to speed up work. Nowadays, everyone aspires for fame and money at any cost and are unaware of unethical practice. Till 1984, I worked as a vice chancellor of University of Pune and corrupt practices in the system was almost non-existent. Even if any discrepancy was found, it was stopped at the grass-roots level. A corrective measure is always there and should be used. However, besides short-term measures, we must also have long-term preventive measures to ensure that such corrupt practices don’t occur.

— Ram Takawale, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Pune

Counsel students who are stressed by exams to avoid bribing incidents
As a foreign student, I am shocked by this incident. This will definitely annoy those students who follow the rules. The university must take stern action against the officials so that such an incident doesn’t happen ever again. If stress of examinations is compelling students to bribe officials, then the university should counsel students on how to deal with stress. Maybe they can outsource the examination process to an external agency.

— Ryan Gallagher, student

UoP must review the whole examination process itself
First of all, it is preposterous to know that officials were bribed to increase marks. I am happy that the incident came to light but it is distressing that it took so long to find out the culprits. It is a reflection of the varsity’s inefficiency in this aspect. Considering Pune University is called ‘Oxford of the East’, such incidents will definitely hit the university’s reputation. However, students will still come to study here as they know that such incidents occurred due to a handful of people and the entire varsity cannot be blamed for it. The university must review the whole examination process itself.

The first step is to take strict action against the offenders so that others will not contemplate similar action. The officials themselves must be expelled and the students should be banned from the university. As a student myself, I am deeply ashamed and shocked.

— Ankit Saini, student

UoP is the nation’s most sought after university to study
I have no doubt that the University of Pune (UoP) will surely find out what actually happened and where it went wrong. Whatever the media has exposed might not all be true, though there could be some truth in it. The UoP administration must ensure that the university’s name is not spoilt with this scam. People have faith in the university, which has maintained a high standard for a long time now. Besides, students from all over India and abroad look at UoP as the nation’s most sought-after university to study. The UoP has a big role in branding Pune as the ‘Oxford of the East’.  

— Arun Sherkar, Assistant Professor

Students whose marks were inflated must be suspended
I had heard of such incidents occurring in other universities in the country but never imagined that it could take place in Pune University. It is a shocking incident. The key priority now should be to appoint new staff for the examination department. Also, there must be strict control on the staff and students to ensure that such incidents do not recur. Those students whose marks were inflated must be suspended for at least a year or two to teach them a lesson. Also, the officials involved should be suspended.

Realistically, corruption is prevalent in the country in general and this incident is a reflection of it. The University of Pune’s reputation will be hit by this incident. It is definitely a blot on its image.

— Kunal Khade, student

This incident will discourage students who study hard
The university must maintain transparency in its functioning. Such incidents take place only due to lack of transparency. It will be good if the varsity uploads the answer sheets on its website so that the students come to know what marks they have scored. The officials who took bribes must be immediately expelled. This incident will discourage students and make them feel that studying for exams is of no use. The varsity must also set up a committee to look into the functioning of the examination department and revamp it.

— Anand Jadhav, student