Student found ineligible for MA course despite completing it

High Court had asked varsity authorities to reconsider decision

Two years of study may not appear in the academic credentials of a student of MA English course offered by the autonomous St. Albert’s College in Ernakulam who was found ineligible for admission to the 2018-20 batch of the programme though he completed it ‘successfully’.

The shortfall in his admission eligibility norms came to light when the Mahatma Gandhi University authorities verified the list of students and their qualification certificates ahead of issuing degree certificates. The submission of the relevant documents by the college management got delayed and it was only done in October last year, as per official records.

Even though autonomous colleges enjoy powers to admit students on their own, the admission norms are regulated as per the prospectus published by the university.

The student completed his BA Economics programme from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 2016. As per the prospectus for postgraduate courses, the candidates having undergraduate degrees in science and social science streams and applying for MA English course should possess 50% marks in Part I English (3 papers) and 45% marks in Part III subjects (main plus subsidiaries). But the BA Economics programme offered by IGNOU had only one paper in Part I English instead of the three papers prescribed in the admission prospectus for postgraduate courses in Mahatma Gandhi University.

On the delay in submitting the qualifying documents before the varsity, M.A. Solomon, Principal, said the consortium of autonomous colleges had initially decided that it was not required. However, individual institutions started submitting it later and we could submit the relevant documents only in October last, he said.

The varsity heard the student and the college Vice Principal last week after the Kerala High Court directed the authorities to reconsider the decision taken by the standing committee of the academic council.

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