Exam postponed sans notice, students complain; varsity calls it confusion

Indore: A group of BCom final year students reached Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) on Tuesday, alleging that the university postponed one of their examinations without prior notice.

The students, who reached DAVV during the public hearing, complained that the paper scheduled for April 12 was conducted on April 11 instead, leaving many of them unable to appear for it. The aggrieved students staged a protest outside the vice-chancellor's office and sat there for an extended period, demanding answers.

Vice-chancellor Prof Rakesh Singhai, later invited the students for a discussion. Led by student leader Aman Patwari, the group accused DAVV of negligence, claiming that the administration's mistake jeopardised their academic future. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Prof Singhai called exam controller Dr Ashesh Tiwari and assistant registrar Dr Vishnu Narayan Mishra to clarify the matter with official documents.

Upon reviewing the timetable, it was revealed that there was no error on the university's part. The exam on April 11 was a vocational paper on Personal Tax Planning – E-Accounting and Taxation with GST, while the paper on April 12 was an elective subject titled Personal Tax Planning. It turned out that the students themselves misunderstood the schedule and missed the vocational paper.

"It was not the varsity's mistake; students were confused with the timetable. Though not much can be done regarding this issue, we have taken their application in case any consideration is done by the university," said Dr Ashesh Tiwari.

Left without justification, the students acknowledged their mistake. Aman Patwari, who was earlier vocal in his criticism, appealed to the vice-chancellor to consider a solution in the students' interest.

Prof Singhai, while maintaining a calm stance, asked the students to submit a formal application and assured them that a committee would be formed to examine the issue. He clarified that the final decision will be student-friendly but strictly within university regulations.