MP University directs faculty to Evaluate Papers in Person, Medical teachers call foul

As per TOI, these faculties belong to around 17 medical colleges including 13 Government-run institutes and the members include senior faculties like professors, heads of the departments, consultants who are in charge of treatment and stopping further spread of Covid-19.

This decision of the University has been strongly questioned by the Madhya Pradesh Medical Teachers' Association, which has written to the University seeking a change in the directions.

It has been alleged by the doctors under the umbrella of MP MTA that the University has time and again failed in executing its duties like conducting timely exams, declaring results, or taking proper measures in the midst of the pandemic. For this, the association has blamed the fact that the University is being run by bureaucrats and not by medical professionals.

Although the University had shifted to the online mode of evaluation before, it has once again changed the procedure and has asked its employees to travel to Jabalpur for this purpose.

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As per the latest media report by the Times of India, the University has failed in fixing an agency for online evaluation of the answer books in the last six months. The previous agency had been debarred receiving allegations of fraud.

While commenting on the matter, Dr. Sunil Agrawal, President, Progressive Medical Teachers Association of Madhya Pradesh told Medical Dialogues, "Usually the MSU heads should be the doctors- especially the senior doctor. However, right now a bureaucrat is sitting at the top position, which is not acceptable to the association. Since the inception of MSU, there have always been delays in conducting examinations and in declaration of the results. In fact, there had been claims of lost and missing going missing and lots of similar stories as well."

"When the University asks its faculty members to appear for evaluation of the answer sheets, usually the expenditure of travel and stay needs to be paid by the doctors themselves. They need to stay in there for 6-7 days for checking the copies. Even I had once been assigned the duty and since then I haven't received any reimbursement of the travel and hotel stay expenses. Apart from this, when a doctor needs to leave their own place and stay at another place for 7 days, their work in their own place- both teaching and clinical- suffers the most," he explained.

Speaking about the shift in the University's decision from Online evaluation, he said, "Previously they had shifted to Online checking method but again they are asking the faculties to appear in person for evaluation of the papers- that too during the COVID time. This way, the health of the employees is being put at risk."

"We have been trying to express our problems to the University and Ministry but they are not responding to any of the issues as if the Medical Education Department is not bothered about its employees at all," he added.

MP Medical Teachers Association Secretary Dr Ashok Thakur told TOI, "MPMSU is trying to implement the system of school at university level. The decision to ask faculty members to come to Jabalpur for evaluation of answer books will put them at exposure risk of Covid-19."

"The works of medical colleges including the clinical ones will suffer because of this decision. In case, a faculty tests positive, he will lose seven working days due to isolation/hospitalisation during recovery", he added.

"We have written a letter to MPMSU demanding change in this decision", further added Dr. Thakur.

"The university could transport the copies to medical colleges for evaluation after coding them as done earlier", he suggested.

Meanwhile, while commenting on the matter, the Registrar of the University Dr. Prabhat Kumar Budholia informed TOI, "I don't have the decision-making power. The decision is taken by the VC or executive committee."

"I am only responsible for implementation of any decision taken. As far as this decision is concerned, it has been taken after due consideration of the current situation", he added.

"The university currently doesn't have any data agency to evaluate the answer books on online mode. Also, there is ongoing protest demanding early examination and results along with the university being caught in litigation in MP high court in various matters", he further mentioned.

Defending the stand of the University, he added, "The decision is taken as the university is trying to complete the examination process as soon as possible."

The daily further adds that as the Vice-Chancellor of the University, who is the divisional commissioner of Jabalpur is going to complete his six months term in February, the University might again become headless. As per the MPMSU act, the interim arrangement cannot be increased beyond a six months time period.