JAC intermediate results of 10 science students at Graduate School College for Women in Sakchi, Jamshedpur, have deprived them of marks, undergraduate honours berths and the chance to pursue medical and engineering, allegedly for no fault of theirs.
In the JAC cross-list sent to the college, all the students have been marked absent in their practical exams in physics, chemistry and biology, which account for 30 marks in each 100-mark paper.
However, the students claimed they had written their practical exam and submitted project work.
A student explained that the 30-mark practicals segment comprised four parts, written exam, lab exam, project submission and viva, but claimed no external examiner had come to check their lab work or take their viva.
She and the other students alleged that there was no culture of external examiners visiting the college and asking examinees questions in viva or grading them on practical experiments inside the lab.
"For the 30-mark practicals, we submitted project work and appeared for a written examination. This has been the trend in our college all these years," said a another student, who did not want to be named. "But, we were marked absent in practicals."
The shocked students claimed to have approached college authorities to check the attendance register. "The first time, they said they have sent all files to Ranchi. The second time, the office staff refused to entertain their requests," a student said.
But, Usha Shukla, principal of Graduate School College for Women, put the onus on students.
"Many times students submit their project work thinking they had completed their practical exams, not realising they had to appear for the practicals in the laboratory," she said.
"Maybe students were absent on that day and they thought submitting the project work was all that they needed to do. Still, I will look into the matter. After all, it concerns the future of our students," added the principal.
For now, the future of these students seems bleak.
"As colleges won't admit students who presumably were absent in practical exams, many of my friends have opted for arts, commerce and even vocational courses. The risk is that if nothing materialises and our marksheet continues to mark us absent in practicals, we may have to sit for intermediate exams again the next year. That will be a huge loss," Sneha Singh, one of the alleged victims, told The Telegraph.
Those who had wanted to try out careers in medical and engineering have found their dreams nipped in the bud.
"Will anyone take us seriously as science students if they see us marked absent in our practicals?" asked a student who didn't want to be named, saying she had eagerly wanted to pursue a science career.
