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No step yet to streamline CUSAT admission system

G. Krishnakumar

Employees seem to be unaware of basic procedures

KOCHI: Major loopholes in the admission system of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) remain unplugged even as the counselling for this year's B.Tech programmes begins on July 25.

Repeated assurances by top university officials to streamline the examination system seem to be yielding no results with sources confirming that several shortcomings still continue to cause headache for the authorities.

A series of lapses were detected following the certificate and admission scandals that rocked the university recently. A girl who failed to qualify the Eligibility Test (Plus Two) and Common Admission Test (CAT) gained illegal entry into the School of Engineering under the university. In another case, a B.Tech student forged a provisional certificate to secure a job in an IT company in Chennai.

Lack of professionalism in admitting students has been cited as a major reason for the ongoing problems in the university. Employees in key departments like admission and examination seem to be unaware of the basic procedures while verifying the credentials of candidates admitted to B.Tech programmes.

Employees of the examination wing point out that there is no regular system to verify the admission number and qualifying certificates of a candidate. A scrutiny of the admission number and number of applicants could have unearthed the illegal entry of the girl into the Department of Electronics and Communication last year.

In the forged certificate case, investigations revealed that the font used in the forged certificate was different from the one used in the original certificate. The folio number of the certificate was different in both the original and the forged certificates.

According to sources, there is no clear assignment of duties in the admission and examination wings. The state of affairs has turned worse with the authorities unable to crosscheck the rank mentioned in the forged fee receipt submitted by the girl involved in the admission fraud. They could not even detect the fact that the rank mentioned in the fee receipt was wrong.

Senior university officials have admitted that there were no specific instructions issued to the employees regarding verification of certificates of candidates.

For the last several years, an unwritten system had been in place with no attempts being made to plug the loopholes.

A blame game is on with the examination wing alleging that it has not received documents for verifying the admission number of the girl who secured illegal entry into School of Engineering.

he International Relations and Academic Admissions (IRAA) wing of the university has put the departments in the dock for the irregularities in last year's admission.

It is reliably learnt that the university authorities are sitting on several recommendations for a major overhaul of the examination and admission wings. Sources said that the work on the "reality check" of admissions made during the last five years was moving at a snail's pace.

The committee appointed to verify the documents may come up with its report within a week.

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