Delay in action against officials over lost answer sheets at TU

Kathmandu, October 28 — There has been a delay in taking action against those responsible for the loss of student answer sheets at Tribhuvan University. A probe committee had recommended disciplinary action against examination controller Pushpraj Joshi and other officials, citing negligence in failing to safeguard the answer sheets.

Despite a considerable amount of time passing since the probe committee's recommendation, no action has yet been taken against anyone. Newly appointed officials of the university had committed to implementing the high-level committee's report and taking action against all those found culpable.

The Executive Council of Tribhuvan University (TU) held a meeting on July 18, 2024, in which it decided to seek explanations from the examination controller and other officials within 15 days. The Administrative Division was directed to prepare a letter seeking clarification within this timeframe.

The council instructed periodic officials, including the examination controller, assistant controller, and staff working in the humanities and social sciences stream, to proceed with the clarification process within 15 days.

Accordingly, the council's secretariat wrote to the division on August 21, 2024, asking for clarifications to be sought within 15 days. However, more than a month has passed without any clarification being requested.

According to sources from Tribhuvan University, “The council meeting on July 18, 2024, mandated that explanations be submitted within 15 days, and necessary procedures for disciplinary action were to be initiated through the administrative division.”

Additionally, the issue of how answer sheets repeatedly go missing at Tribhuvan University has been raised. The investigation committee recommended action against responsible officials, including examination controller Joshi, following a thorough examination of the matter.

It has been suggested that political pressure has hindered the process of seeking clarifications. University sources claim that there has been pressure at the political level not to advance the disciplinary proceedings.

“External factors may suggest otherwise, but the underlying issue seems to be political pressure. It appears that when aligned with a particular party, clarifications are not pursued. Staff seem to hesitate more than university officials in this matter,” the source stated. “Why was there no effort to seek clarification within 15 days as mandated? The only explanation is political.”

If satisfactory explanations are not provided regarding why action has not been taken, the university is prepared to advance further disciplinary measures. However, due to the absence of any clarifications thus far, no actions have been possible.

The Examination Control Office (ECO) conducted re-examinations while remaining discreet about the loss of answer sheets, starting from April 3, 2024. 

Those who were asked for clarification will face action according to the Tribhuvan University Organization and Educational Administration Rules, 1993. If satisfactory explanations are not provided, the university plans to proceed with disciplinary action based on that.

The answer sheets for the subjects of Population and Health (422) and the Foundation of Education (412) from the first year of the Bachelor's degree program, which was taken in April 2023, went missing.

After the answer sheets were lost at the time of result publication, the Examination Control Office prepared for re-examinations. Following widespread criticism of Tribhuvan University and the ECO, a probe committee was formed on April 14, 2023.

A three-member high-level committee, chaired by former Chairman of the National Examination Board and former Registrar of Tribhuvan University, Dr. Chandramani Paudel, recommended action against various individuals, including the examination controller. Despite the report being submitted seven months ago, no action has been taken.

Vice-Chancellor Dr. Keshar Jung Baral stated that the disciplinary process is underway, noting some procedural delays but assuring that a resolution will be reached soon.

“I had no idea that answer sheets could go missing. However, it seems this has been happening for quite some time. During the investigation, it was revealed that this has been a long-standing issue. Until now, no action has been taken,” Vice-Chancellor Baral told Ratopati.

Despite the apparent lack of action externally, he emphasized that work is proceeding according to university rules. Following any disciplinary actions, there is a legal provision for appeals within the university. Individuals dissatisfied with university actions can also appeal to external courts.

Baral noted that the university has been dealing with accumulated issues over many years and assured that these problems will be resolved incrementally.

“There have been issues that have piled up over the years. It takes time to resolve them,” he stated. “Indirectly, there seems to be a flaw in the system. The disorganized nature of the system has become a challenge that needs to be addressed.”

Recurrent issue of lost answer sheets  
This is not the first instance of lost answer sheets at Tribhuvan University. There has been a pattern of losing answer sheets and conducting re-examinations in the past.

The established practice of losing answer sheets without taking action against those involved has led to this issue recurring frequently. This time, however, the widespread media coverage of the lost answer sheets prompted the university to form an investigative committee.

The ECO gives answer sheets to professors for grading after conducting examinations for any subject. Professors can take the answer sheets home for checking and grading. However, some professors reportedly take them home and delay grading for extended periods.

According to an assistant examination controller, they often get busy with other tasks, causing significant delays in grading the answer sheets. This prolonged delay in grading leads to negligence in the results.

There are various reasons for the loss of answer sheets. Some are misplaced after being taken home for grading, while others go missing after being submitted to the relevant office.

“When dealing with a large number of answer sheets, occasional losses are considered normal. There can be various reasons for this,” the assistant controller noted. “Answer sheets can also go missing from the hands of those responsible for grading. Once mixed with old and new answer sheets, they can easily become lost.”

The assistant controller emphasized the need to work diligently to avoid repeating such mistakes, citing the importance of addressing weaknesses in the process.

Recently, Tribhuvan University has implemented significant improvements in examinations. Current officials have been working to publish results within 100 days after the examinations conclude.

Vice-Chancellor Baral stated that improving the results is his top priority. He mentioned that grading is now being conducted by the relevant regional offices.