North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) has asked students to be patient as a sought after amendment to the grading system will take time to implement as it has to be approved through the proper channels.
Postgraduate students from the 2022 batch of NEHU-affiliated colleges are bemoaning the grading system that was introduced in February 2023, which they say has negatively impacted their results.
Students have complained that to obtain, for example, a C grade, they now have to score 60-70 percent whereas using the previous system they only had to achieve 45-55 percent for the same letter grade.
They argue that the system unfairly penalises those who would have performed better under the previous grading structure. The students want the university to implement the new grading system approved by the Academic Council in June 2024 for the 2022 batch.
In a statement today, NEHU said that it “in true earnest” forwarded the grievances of the students to the Examination Department “to undertake a detailed study to include all aspects including academic, legal and statutory and to work-out various issues involved in implementation, keeping the best interest of the student community in view.”
On receipt of the report from the Examination Department, the NEHU administration decided to refer the matter to university authorities/statutory bodies for implementation of the recommendation of the Examination Department.
However, as per the Act and Statutes of NEHU, any amendment to the existing ordinance has to be approved through due process undertaken by various university authorities/statutory bodies and requires the assent of Visitor of the university; i.e. the President of India.
The varsity administration, the statement said, “is committed to safeguard the best interest of the student community by following due statutory process, however the same may take some time.”
It added that all batches under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, including the 2022-24 postgraduate batch, will be governed by the same ordinance and regulations.