By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 6: A student of Synod College who did not receive the admit card to appear for the 5th semester of the Bachelor of Arts examination conducted by NEHU has sought the intervention of Education Minister, Rakkam A. Sangma.
There are about 15 such students from Synod College without admit cards needed to appear for the bachelor’s degree examinations from November 16 to December 8.
“I am a regular student of the college and started my first semester in 2021 and successfully passed all the exams up to the 3rd semester conducted in November 2022. In 2023, I continued to pursue the 4th semester and the examination was scheduled to happen in May 2023. But I was unable to appear for the fourth semester because I was not issued the admit card despite paying the college fees and examination fees on time,” the Synod College student said in her petition to Sangma.
She said the aggrieved students brought up the issue with the college authorities concerned. The principal advised them to continue with the 5th semester and appear for the 4th semester as a repeater during the 6th semester whose session starts in 2024 and to continue making the payments according to instructions.
She also stated that she attached all the necessary documents – college and examination fees of the 4th and 5th semesters – and a list of all the students who were denied the right to appear for the examination.
“We want the higher authorities to listen to our grievances and intervene,” she said.
The BA 5th semester student hopes she will be allowed to appear for the examination if the education minister intervenes.
“We will remain ever grateful to you for the immediate action and support to the student community,” she said.
The student’s father, Shanlang Diengdoh said the family is in a dilemma since neither the college management nor the university can resolve the problem faced by her daughter.
He said her daughter was admitted to the 5th semester following an assurance from the college principal that she would be allowed to appear as a repeater for the fourth semester during her sixth semester.
“But like the 4th semester, my daughter did not receive the admit card for the 5th semester. Strangely, the vice-principal told us that we should take admission for the sixth semester. But this time we told the college management we should get an assurance that my daughter should be able to appear as repeaters for both the 5th and 6th semesters,” Diengdoh said.
He said the college management could not give any assurance to allow his daughter to appear as a repeater for both semesters.
“My daughter was told at the very last minute that she did not receive her admit card. This is harassment,” Diengdoh said, adding that the college allowed her to appear for the practical examination too.
“My daughter reached out to both the college management and the office of the Controller of Examination, NEHU. The NEDU staff told her that it is the responsibility of the college to submit her name,” he said.
This should not have happened as her daughter had cleared all the fees, including the examination fees, he said.
“As a father, I just hope the education minister helps,” he added.
Meanwhile, Synod College Principal, Richard M. Lyngdoh said the students did not receive the admit cards since they did not register and appear for the fourth-semester examination.
Clarifying that the college has nothing to do with it, he said the names of these students were automatically removed from the portal of NEHU.
According to him, 15 students out of the 3,000 students who are appearing for the examination did not receive the admit card.
“Not registering is the fault of the students. The authority lies with NEHU since we are only conducting the final examination,” Lyngdoh said.
He denied that he committed the student in question for admission in the 5th semester as she will be allowed to appear for the 4th semester as a repeater.
“I have no authority to give such an assurance to any student,” he said.
He said that they have made the necessary arrangements for students to register themselves to appear for the examination on the NEHU portal.
“We gave five to six days for the students to register. We sent messages to all students to inform them that they will need to do online registration,” the principal said.
He said the college cannot access the site once the university closes the online registration.
He further said that it is only the university that can take a call on the fate of these students who did not receive the admit cards.