Mumbai: Only a week after being barred from offering online courses by UGC, the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) is once again in the news.
As many as 120 parents of students enrolled at the NMIMS Anil Surendra Modi School of Commerce (ASMSC) have written to the Union Minister of Education and Skill Development, Dharmendra Pradhan, complaining about the assessment system of the institute.
In the letter accessed by The FPJ, parents allege that almost 50% of students in the NMIMS School of Commerce face an uncertain future due to its stringent assessment policy, which makes a student repeat a year after failing a single exam instead of having recurring KT (keeping terms) exams, a policy followed by most colleges across Mumbai.
'Generally, in a degree course, there is a facility to clear up their back papers within 3 years to get the degree, however, in this college and only commerce stream students are being detained and not allowed for the next year unless they clear the back papers (in the same year’s retest), this clearly shows their intention of money-making motives,' read the complaint letter.
Meanwhile, the parents have also notified the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, about the problems faced at the institute, and a formal UGC complaint is next for the group.
“The institute has failed 40.5% of first-year students from the B.Com (Hons) course this year. This has happened to capable students, who got into NMIMS through an entrance test, to begin with,” said the mother of a B.Com (Hons) student based in Chembur.
Last week, the parents of these students met with the college dean, who refused to amend the students' results in question. With the NMIMS Vice Chancellor allegedly refusing a meeting, nearly 100 parents and their wards plan to organise a silent protest on Monday, April 24, at the NMIMS Mumbai main campus to raise their concerns.
“I came from Delhi to see what affected my daughter's mental health so much, which is when I realised that the culture at NMIMS isn't centred toward its students. They did not make any considerations even for the fresh batch, who spent the last two years learning online,” said the parent of another first-year student who is a signatory to the letter.
Students from other streams within the School of Commerce are to join in the protest too, as the institute recently failed at least 15 BBA students who were only one mark shy from passing the semester exams. The FPJ contacted the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), but the officials did not respond.
NMIMS also made news last month for its strict policies after suspending all 180 second-year students from SY B.Com classes for three days. The institute did so after a few students created a ‘disturbance' and did not pay attention to the lectures.
