Mumbai: A delayed result and an unusually high failure rate have triggered concern among students enrolled in Mumbai University’s distance education programmes, with Yuva Sena representatives demanding an urgent review of the assessment process and the academic calendar.The first-semester results for the first-year BCom programme were declared after four months, instead of 45 days. Of the 2,543 students, only 457 passed, while 2,086 were declared unsuccessful. The situation was similar in the first-year Arts programme, where 460 of 2,224 students cleared the examination and 1,764 failed.Yuva Sena senate member Pradeep Sawant met university registrar Prasad Karande. He sought clarity on the second-semester results, ATKT examinations and admissions to the next academic year. Sawant warned that further delays could disrupt the academic calendar and affect thousands of working students who depend on distance education to continue their studies.Students have also complained of delayed study material, last-minute notices, inadequate communication from university officials and possible shortcomings in answer-sheet evaluation.The representatives pointed to the sharp decline in enrolment in the university’s distance education division. The department reportedly had nearly 80,000 students in 2022, compared with about 20,000 now.The University of Mumbai clarified that 1,764 of 2,224 BA students and 2,086 of 2,543 BCom students were marked unsuccessful in Semester I, but many had failed in only one or two subjects. Since each course includes multiple internal and external assessments, failure in any subject places a student in the unsuccessful category. The BA pass rate was 20.68%, compared with 23.35% last year, while BCom improved from 13% to 18%. Students will not lose an academic year, as they may enter Semester II and clear failed subjects later. ATKT exams begin on Aug 25.
