With Assembly election preparations intensifying alongside the academic calendar, the University of Calcutta has issued a cautionary directive to its affiliated colleges. Controller of Examinations Jayanta Sinha has asked nearly 150 colleges to be ready to manage two major responsibilities simultaneously- conducting undergraduate semester examinations and facilitating election-related duties.
In a notice sent to principals and teachers-in-charge, he stated that the BA, BSc and BCom (Honours and Major) third and fifth semester examinations, along with third semester vocational course exams, will be conducted from March 6 to April 24, 2025. The Assembly elections are scheduled to take place around the same period, raising concerns about administrative coordination.
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As a result, while many colleges will serve as examination centres, many may also be used to house central forces or for other electoral work. The Controller of Examinations has asked them to remain vigilant to ensure that the normal examination process is not disrupted. Calcutta has published the routine for multiple semester examinations during the April voting season.
A report was published in 'Ei Samay' on Tuesday, raising the question of whether it would be possible to follow the routine. Following this, several college principals are quite sceptical about handling both tasks simultaneously in Jayanta's directive.
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The university directive states that seating arrangements for examinees, distribution of admit cards, storage and distribution of question papers, collection and storage of answer sheets- all must be done with advance planning. The directive has informed that colleges need to be proactive about quickly checking papers, uploading marks, and publishing results within the stipulated time.
However, several principals argue that instead of sending separate directives to colleges, the university authorities could have drawn the attention of the State Election Officer by involving all principals. That would have had a more 'positive' impact. Lady Brabourne's Principal, Shiuli Sarkar, says, "Students from various parts of the state study in Calcutta's affiliated colleges. As a result, they vote in different places. In that case, many of them may face problems."
Ashutosh College Principal and University Syndicate member Manas Kabir says, "There was no prior discussion with principals regarding the examination routine. Now, instead of placing the burden on colleges, the university should rather inform the Election Commission about the examination routine before the election announcement. That would be much more effective."
