Helpless Glc Students' Plight

A shocking series of events in Mumbai’s Government Law College (GLC) has put forth questions on the integrity of their Principal Mrs. Suvarna Keole. The DPC examination conducted this year has raised this question when more than 270 students failed the exam, the students were informed after arrival for the exam that will be given only an hour and a half instead of 2 hours to complete the exam. This created panic among the students and to top that they were given questionable instructions like writing their names on the answer sheet or otherwise their paper would not get evaluated, this is against the general practice of the board of education which requires students not to reveal their identity through their answer sheet apart from their examination seat number.

After the declaration of result when the students approached their principal with their grievances they were dismissed by the principal and the college security was called on them and they were evacuated from their own college. Students have been denied their right to access photocopies of the answer booklet by the principal effectively denying them the opportunity to check their calculation and totaling errors. Additionally, they have been refused a retest, which was not the case the previous year. Correspondingly, a set of selective students who were absent for the exam were granted an opportunity to take a re-test, multiple times through 3 days before the announcement of the results.

When a delegation of parents met the Principal their requests were not heeded, they were kept waiting for resolution for the entire day only to be informed by the governing council that its not within there power to interfere in the matter, despite the gravity of the situation. Given the plight of the students when certain public representatives like the Yuva Sena visited the college to plead the student’s case their intentions were questioned and they were asked to evacuate the building. The Principal even filed a F.I.R. against MLA Mr.Waris Pathan under whose guidance the representatives had visited the college.

The Director of the Board of Examinations and Evaluation directed the Principal to conduct re-examination but Mrs. Suvarna Keole, the Principal questioned the authority of the university to pass such an order, despite the college being affiliated to the Mumbai University! The situation now seems to be descending into anarchy as the Principal refuses to pay heed to any orders passed by any authority including the Mumbai University and the education minister Vinod Tawde. The students are suffering because of this blatant misuse of authority and with the semester exams being just three weeks away and no clarity the jobs and higher educational opportunities secured by the students have been put in jeopardy.

The students have appealed to anybody willing to help as a last resort when some of the students are battling with depression, nervous break downs and other illness due to this prolonged harassment at the hands of their Principal. The students have stated that if any student suffers any adverse health consequences or take any untoward step owing to the constant humiliation and oppression the only person responsible will be Mrs. Suvarna Keole. Upon making this representation to the principal she was of the opinion that such issues are trivial and do not merit her attention. She dismissed students undergoing extreme mental stress and ridiculed their state of mind.

The Open letter shared by the students of GLC :

https://twitter.com/RiseUpIndia3/status/1126083843067244545