NU is sinking, I appeal to the eminent alumni to salvage its glory: Anees Ahmed

Nagpur: Raising concerns over declining standards of Nagpur University (NU) and the Rs 5-crore service contract to Hyderabad-based COEMPT, former Maharashtra higher and technical education minister Anees Ahmed vowed to mobilise NU's illustrious alumni to help restore the institution's stature.During a visit to TOI office, the former cabinet minister said he would write to former Chief Justices of India, Union ministers, chief ministers, MPs, MLAs and other prominent political and public figures who studied at Nagpur University to draw their attention to the difficulties faced by students and challenges confronting the 102-year-old institution.Ahmed, who still takes pride in his alma mater, NU, said the continued deterioration of quality of education has not only left students in the lurch, but also triggered a brain drain from Vidarbha. "Nagpur University used to be the biggest university of Vidarbha. Due to result delays, marksheet glitches and sinking standards, students are forced to migrate to universities in Mumbai and Pune," he said.He added the Central and Maharashtra govt must ensure adequate allocation of funds to the university for creating modern infrastructure, adequate manpower and advanced courses to retain talent in Vidarbha."The university has produced a President, a PM, Chief Justices of India, Union ministers, a chief minister, judges, bureaucrats, and influential personalities who served the nation with distinction. It's unfortunate that an institution of such stature is witnessing a decline in academic standards and administrative efficiency," Ahmed said.Ahmed also questioned the placement scenario at Nagpur University. He claimed students graduating from the university are not receiving adequate placement opportunities and alleged top employers prefer candidates from Mumbai and Pune universities over those from NU. He raised concerns over employability outcomes and called for steps to strengthen placements and improve industry confidence in NU graduates.Former President of India Mohammad Hidyatullah, former PM PV Narasimha Rao, ex-CJIs Justice Sharad Bobde, Justice Bhushan Gavai, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former MP Shrikant Jichkar, legal luminary Harish Salve, Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik, Avinash Pande besides Anees Ahmed are among the illustrious alumni of NU.He said during his time, students didn't face such obstacles in results and examinations. "In the Eighties, there was no private agency and NU's own system functioned smoothly. As a student, we never heard about blunders in exams and results," he said, demanding COEMPT's ouster as the service provider.Ahmed said outrage swept the nation over CBSE OSM row and NEET paper leak and now COEMPT's name has surfaced. "It was banned by Telangana govt and then it began functioning as Globarena. How can NU award a contract to a company which has a history of blunders," he said.He pointed out that a NEET aspirant committed suicide in Nagpur as she was unable to handle the pressure of appearing again. "Are we waiting for such tragedies in Nagpur University," he asked.Ahmed said, "Today a NU student has to worry about everything else but studies. Marksheets have errors, hall tickets are not generated even on the day of exam, students are marked absent despite appearing in exam, winter exam corrections are pending while summer exam blunders have added to their woes. In one case, students had to be informed about updated syllabus and taught additional topics in the morning of the exam," he said.Demanding ouster of COEMPT, Ahmed said NU must develop its own online exam system and draw expertise from its I-T faculty. He added many prestigious colleges either migrated to other universities or gained autonomy to become independent of NU. "This resulted in loss of students and revenue for NU," he said.