West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has expressed concern over the dip in pass percentage in Part-1 results of the Calcutta University and said outsiders were vitiating the atmosphere in the institute and harming the interests of the students.
A group of students, with affiliations to different students' unions, were seen protesting over the poor show in Part-1 results on the university campus yesterday.
The minister said it was not proper for a student to fail and then demonstrate on the campus.
"We have seen outsiders coming to the campus to demonstrate on issues. We are keeping watch on this. This only harms the future of students," he said here yesterday.
Chatterjee was talking to the media after a meeting with Calcutta University Pro Vice-chancellor Dipak Kar and other senior CU officials in the wake of the poor performance by the BA and BSc Part I (honours and general) students.
To a question about what transpired in the talks, the minister said, "I heard their views. But I haven't made any recommendations."
To another question about some undergraduate colleges attributing change in exam assessment rules for the poor show, Chatterjee said, "Let the colleges approach the university if they wish so. If the government intervenes they will say their autonomy was not being safeguarded."
The pro-VC said he has apprised the minister of the developments on the campus.
"He has asked us not to compromise on the issue of academic excellence. We will think about steps that need to be taken to resolve the issue at the next syndicate meeting."
Of the 64,000 candidates that appeared for the BA Part I (Honours and general stream) exam, just 28,000 have passed, the results published last Thursday revealed.
In the BSc stream, around 11,000 students of the total 15,000 that sat for the exam made it.
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