In the first half of 2007, the university received 3,360 applications for re-evaluation in the Commerce stream, of which results for 1,912 were dispatched. There are 405 pending applications in the Arts stream and 443 for Science, alongside 249 for Law, 529 for Engineering and 217 for Technology.

According to Khole, the procedure for re-evaluating answer sheets is a long-winded one. This, coupled with the increasing number of applications and paucity of staff, makes it difficult to despatch corrected answer sheets within the stipulated time, he said. Also, the university needs the consent of the Bombay High Court for any proposed amendments to the procedure to make it more ‘student-friendly’, he added.

As per norm, students who apply for a re-evaluation of their answer sheets should get photocopies of their answer sheets within 21 days of the application. Pro vice-chancellor AD Sawant said that the university is now considering whether to propose a ceiling on the number of papers a student can send for revaluation. He added, however, that all students who apply for re-evaluation, whether their applications are approved or not, will now be able to access photocopies of their papers within 21 days.

Khole admitted that there is a need to fill vacancies in order to accelerate re-evaluation work, adding that a committee has been appointed to look into vacancies and staff requirements.

H Dekate, another senate member, elaborated on a call to boycott assessment of the Third Year Bachelor of Arts (TYBA) and Bachelor of Commerce (TYBCom) answer books on April 2, 3 and 4, a proposed protest against the “chaotic situation” at the Centralised Assessment Programme (CAP) centres. He said: “Professors have complained about appalling conditions in which they have to assess answer papers. Some of the professors come from far-off places and the university should provide proper accommodation arrangements for them. There is lack of examiners too, due to which some professors are forced to assess papers of subjects they are not qualified to teach.”

Last year, there were 1,92,000 Commerce answer sheets to be evaluated, and only 200 teachers to do the work within 30 to 35 days, he complained.

Bombay University and College Teachers’ Union (BUCTU) president Tapati Mukhopadhyay said the university has not addressed the demands of the teachers.