Thursday, February 06, 2014
VOL. 13 ISSUE 26
Ministers turn a deaf ear to disability corruption- Rao PAGE 2
New hi-tech HIV diagnosis machine unveiled in city PAGE 4
Graduation for sale ISHAN BHATTACHARYA
pended from campus.
T
hirty eight students who failed a final course exam received pass-marks in a re-evaluation amid claims they paid for their success. Failing in the last semester and then paying money to brokers to have final papers doctored is becoming a worrying trend in Bangalore, according to students and teachers alike. A Weekly Observer investigation has uncovered a complex trail of middlemen and brokers who demand up to Rs 8000 to turn a fail into a pass. One Head of Department at a city college even spoke of teachers who received money from these brokers being sus-
Students who performed well in exams have spoken of their surprise at the reversal of fortune for some of their poorer performing classmates. In one course, with 120 students, 60 failed the final paper. At a subsequent re-evaluation, 38 of the 60 students who failed were then given pass-marks. Of the 120-strong batch of students in the Bachelor in Computer Application department of the Public Education Society College (PES) in Bangalore, 60 of them failed in the final semester of the course. Student “toppers”, those who came top of the class, say some of those students consider the “broker” arrangement an open secret.
These brokers are invariably students hired by a middle-man who has access to professors and teachers responsible for grading papers and exams. A source in PES College, who we have chosen not to name for his own safety, said: “Sixty out of 120 students failed in our batch. But most of them paid money via another student, who works for a broker in Bangalore University, and they then managed to pass the course. “They take Rs 8000 per paper to ensure that you pass. I have even heard that if you are willing to pay a good sum of money to the brokers, they will arrange a test for the failed students where one can sit in his home and solve the paper.” He added: “There are two ways to do this. Those who know that they will fail a paper give the money in advance to the brokers and then brokers doctor the final result sheet that is given to the college. “Those who come to know that they failed after the results are out pay the money when they send papers for recheck or re-evaluation. I think this is why after re-check the number of failures went down to 22 from the initial 60.”
Vinay, who said he could change exam grades for Rs8000
Arranging a change in your grades could not be easier. Our source contacted Vinay, a student at PES studying on the same course as those whose grades were allegedly altered.
‘
If you need to pass you need to pay Rs 8000 per subject and give me a photocopy of the re-valuation receipt and then you will definitely pass, absolutely no worries.”
He said: “There is one guy named Vinay in our college who does all the monetary transactions for the broker. One needs to pay the money to him and then the broker takes care of the rest as he then deals with the people at Bangalore University.” Vinay in a recorded conversation with the source, said: “If you need to pass you need to pay Rs 8000 per subject and give me a photocopy of the re-valuation receipt and then you will definitely pass, absolutely no worries.” Kannan PS, the head of the BCA department in PES College, said: “Two years back a group of teachers from our college were suspended from duty for almost a year as they were caught taking money to pass students. I have heard that students pay money to brokers but I do not have any proof of it.” He added: “Ten per cent of the students every year complain that because of improper checking they do not get the marks they deserve. This year a very good student of mine got poor marks, which even I refuse to believe.”
Statistics given by Kannan revealed that 22 students flunked in the final semester. Sohini Purakayasto, who was in the top five list of best students in the BCA department, said: “It is very disheartening that people who do not study pay money and pass the course. I work hard and still at times I do not get the marks I deserve. Nothing can be done about it, this is how things are.” KN Murthy, principal and director of PES College, said: “We are very serious about these issues. Our college is one of the best colleges in Bangalore and if we ever find out that students are paying money to pass, we will immediately rusticate him or her. Such things do not happen in our college and I am very sure of it.” A spokesman for Bangalore University head office, the university which grades the PES papers, said: “We are very strict about this. I have never heard of such cases. Regardless of what college you have information about, we will take action. Vinay Gowda said , “ I don’t know anything about this.”
Police manhunt after murder just yards from the temple KArishma Ravindran Police have launched a manhunt to find the accused involved in the murder of a 40-year-old widow who was beaten to death following a property dispute. According to the Channapatna Rural Police Station, the de-
ceased, identified as Seeta Lakshmi, was beaten to death by her husband’s brother. The police said Muniswamacharya, Seeta’s husband who was a goldsmith, died in 2013 of a heart attack. The police added that he owned property worth Rs 1crore. S. Nagaraj, Circle Inspector of Channapatna Rural Police
Station said: “After Muniswamacharya’s death, his accused brother, Krishnacharya decided to acquire the entire property in his name, which was opposed by Seeta. Hence, she decided to discuss this issue in front of the village panchayat, but her efforts went in vain and the two had altercations.” (Continued on Page 3)
Seeta’s body, near Veerbhadra Temple, after she was beaten to death