TYBCom exam starts today, expect disruptions

The TYBCom exams, the University of Mumbai’s largest exam, will start today as scheduled. More than 86,500 students from colleges in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Sindhudurg, and Ratnagiri districts will take the first paper at the over 200 exam centres even as teachers boycott the exams.
Though Day 1 will be held under police protection, a first in MU’s history, it could witness a full-blown war between college managements — backed by the state, police, and university — and the Bombay University and College Teachers Organisation (Bucto), which is on a boycott since February 4.

This has left students stressed out. “I am worried about the union’s move,” said a student. The papers scheduled for today are optional ones that include financial accounting and auditing, business management, commerce and quantitative techniques. The 5,000-member union has planned to demonstrate and not allow students to enter exam centres today.

For the past two decades, the union has been demanding that teachers appointed between 1991 and 2000 and those who don’t have the NET/SET qualification be regularised. Though UGC okayed it long back , the government left the issue dangling. The government has now offered them regularisation from March 2013.  Also, teachers want payment of the 6th commission arrears.

Some colleges have decided to deploy first year students with cameras. “They will shoot the entire event. Photographic evidence will help us if anything goes wrong,” Sangeeta Kohli, principal of SK Somiaya College, said.

Madhu Paranjape, Bucto general secretary, said the union, in future, will not help in any exam work if principals try to hold exams keeping the teachers out.

Naresh Chandra, pro V-C, said: “We hope that Bucto will not do anything that affects students.”

@kanchanDNA