Panjab University earns over Rs 2.8 cr from re-evaluation fee

Panjab University has earned Rs 2.85 crore in revenue alone from fees levied on students for re-evaluation and rechecking of answer books in 2023-2024. For 2024-2025, Rs 2.90 crore is estimated to arrive in the university kitty.

While the university received Rs 2.80 crore in 2022-2023, it got Rs 13.29 lakh for the same in 2021-2022, when the exam mode remained online.

For getting an answer booklet re-evaluated for a postgraduate course in the present academic year, the university has fixed a fee of Rs 800 and for an undergraduate course, Rs 750. During the session 2023-2024, Rs 740 had been fixed for postgraduate course and Rs 690 for any undergraduate course. The charges were Rs 700 and Rs 650, respectively, during the 2022-2023 academic session.

“The university should fix the responsibility of answer booklet evaluators. It is not uncommon to see students gaining a lot of marks once they go for re-evaluation process. It seems like a way to fill up their coffers,” said a student leader of the PU campus.

Former PU Vice-Chancellor Arun Grover said, “The re-evaluation process should be eliminated all together by showing answer sheets to students in departments. The students should be allowed to submit scanned answer sheets, which will make the process easier.”

Under the honours school system on the university campus, the answer booklets are shown to the students after exams by the faculty members. Their answer sheets are evaluated and checked in the department itself instead of being sent to other teachers.

Vice-Chancellor Renu Vig said, “It is only to facilitate the students. The university has a system where students are able to get their answer sheets evaluated again if they are unhappy with the marks they score and any student can avail of it.”