Many engineering colleges affiliated to Anna University have said the results of the November-December semester examinations have been withheld for a large number of students. The results were declared on April 11.
“At each institution, a minimum of 40% students are facing such issues [of the results being withheld],” a faculty member of a private engineering college said.
Anna University has mentioned either “withheld” or “withheld for clarification” or “results under process” as the reason for not declaring the marks. When colleges do not pay the examination fee, the university withholds results; sometimes the university seeks clarifications about the candidates. The results of some students are withheld if malpractice is suspected.
Owing to COVID-19, the university had conducted online proctored examinations using Artificial Intelligence. For the students, it was a new experience, teachers said.
During the first wave of the pandemic, students took the examinations online in September. Though the university held several training sessions, some students complained of a delay in logging in for as much as 30 minutes. Some had trouble maintaining continuous Internet connectivity.
A section of the students said that the marks awarded to them should have been higher. A professor of a college in Kancheepuram district said students who had no history of arrears until the sixth semester had failed in the just-concluded seventh semester.
“The published results have put the future of many final-year students in jeopardy. It is blocking placement opportunities for final-year students in companies that demand “no history of arrears,” he said.
Even students who were placed are worried about the impact of the results on their placement and the lack of opportunity for revaluation, the professor said.
The colleges fear that the poor results would affect admissions in the coming academic year.
When contacted, a university official said it would be incorrect to comment on the issue as the results were not published in full. “Many colleges have not paid the fees and some [of the results] have been withheld for suspected malpractice,” he explained.
