University to reduce photocopy fee

BANGALORE: Now that Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) is basking in the success of its Digital Evaluation System (DES), the officials are considering reducing fee for photocopy of answer scripts to Rs 25 from the existing Rs 500. Under the DES that was first started in July 2010, scanned copies of answer scripts are directly mailed to the students. Thanks to the digitisation of the entire evaluation process, Registrar (Evaluation) Dr G N Krishnamurthy on Wednesday hinted that the photocopy fee may be reduced. “With the DES in place, we can think of reducing the fees for photocopy of answer scripts. We will work out the cost involved, as more than 3 lakh students take the exam. If everything works out well, the fee will be reduced to `25,” he said. He was speaking at a round-table discussion that was held to determine the pros and cons of the DES, organised by Shruth and Smith Foundation and Professional’s Action Committee for Educational Reforms (PACER) Foundation. “The process of sending scanned copies of answer scripts to students has already started. However, we have retained Rs 500 as the fee. In personal capacity, I am confident that this figure can come down significantly. We are working on it,” said Dr Krishnamurthy, adding that the current fee for re-valuation of Rs 400 may also be reduced.DES is Good, But...The discussion saw participation from various principals of affiliated colleges, academic council members, executive committee members and other senior academicians from all over the state. While the DES was largely appreciated for saving time and money, the members put forth many suggestions.Principal of Shree Devi Institute of Technology (Mangalore) Dr K E Prakash said: “Older valuators complain of visibility problems. The computer monitors are 14 inch or 17 inch, which is not enough to show 2-3 windows at a time,” he said. Former principal of MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology Dr K Rajani Kanth,  said: “There are concerns that cutting of answer scripts may lead to manipulation while scanning, we are working on to counter this. Also, we are working on improving the quality of scanning.”