Kottayam: The Mahatma Gandhi University has decided to grant five extra marks to BSc Nursing students even as a controversy rages over violation of norms in awarding grace marks to a B Tech student. The examination controller of the varsity issued the order in this regard on Friday, based on the recommendations of the university syndicate.

The moderation of five marks is being given to those students who failed in the BSc Nursing courses, which had commenced in 2008 and 2009. This course came under the Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) when it was started in 2010. (As KUHS administers courses that were started from 2010 onward, the MG University is still responsible for the exams of those courses started prior to it.)

The MG University has now allegedly given grace marks to those who did not clear the exam then.

The syndicate had decided to conduct a mercy chance exam for the BSc Nursing students who had failed to clear the exam. Several students failed in one or two subjects even in this exam. A meet of the syndicate then decided to give five-mark moderation to help them clear the exam.

However, the MG University's decision is against the norms stipulated by the Indian Nursing Council.

As per the Council's norms, the mercy chance exam has to be conducted within twice the time period of the related course duration. This means the mercy chance exam had to be conducted in eight years as the BSc Nursing course is of four years.

The University has violated the norms that say the mercy chancy exam for 2008, 2009 should be conducted within 2016, 2017.

B Tech row

A row around the University erupted after opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala claimed the other day Kerala's Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel had intervened in helping a B Tech candidate pass an examination conducted by it. She was from a self-financing college in Kothamangalam.

The native place of the B Tech student, who requested for moderation from the MG University, and Jaleel's private secretary are the same: Pullikanakku in Alappuzha district. This aide currently lives at Puthiyidathu locality, nearby. The student also studied in a school in which a kin of the private secretary is employed.

The girl student is reportedly a family friend of a former syndicate member, who has affinity to the CPM and holds classes for the party activists. This person is also from Pullikanakku.

Though she had only asked for one mark, the syndicate reportedly decided to award five marks.

As per the order issued by the university on May 17, a special moderation of five marks can be given for students to clear the B Tech exam in any of the semesters. The order does not specify the academic period of B Tech courses for which moderation is applicable. Nor does the order mentions the deadline by which the applications for moderation have to be submitted.

As the order remains effective, even if students, who had failed in the exam conducted earlier, give application, moderation would have to be given.

The scandal has its origins in February 2019 when the student sought grace marks granted for participation in the National Service Scheme for addition to the supplementary examination of the sixth semester. The plea, which was made at an adalat conducted by the MG University, was initially rejected since the student had already been given grace mark. However, it is alleged one more mark was granted to her on the directions of the minister's private secretary who was taking part in the adalat. This move was later given nod by the University Syndicate.