“If we assess today’s students as we assessed yesterdays, we rob them of tomorrow”

- John Dewey.

1. Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and learned Standing Counsel appearing for Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences.

2. The petitioners are students pursuing Post-graduate Medical Degree/Diploma Courses in the Colleges affiliated to the second respondent University. They appeared for the final year examinations conducted in May/June 2017. After the announcement of the results when they were declared to have been failed, the present Writ Petitions are filed challenging the method of digital evaluation and denial of re-totalling of the marks. It appears that most of the candidates paid an amount of Rs.2,000/- for re-totalling, but in view of the digital evaluation the re-totalling was not permitted.

3. It is the case of the petitioners that the digital evaluation is not evolved in a foolproof manner in spite of the orders of this Court in Dr. P. Kishore Kumar v. State of Andhra Pradesh 2016 (6) ALT 408 and in W.P.No.7119 of 2017 and batch dated 04.04.2017. It is their further case that at the time of issuing notification or at the time of issuing Hall tickets they were not put on notice with regard to digital evaluation of their answer scripts and since the said system is not foolproof their failure was the result of such system of evaluation.

4. Initially, a counter affidavit was filed by the Registrar stating that the digital valuation was introduced for the P.G Degree/Diploma examinations held in May/June 2016. The pilot project was initially entrusted to M/s. Globarena Technologies Private Limited, Hyderabad which has done online valuation of 84 scripts during October 2015 P.G. examinations as pilot project on experimental basis and the Professors who valued the scripts expressed their satisfaction on online valuation and opined that online valuation is beneficial when compared to OMR filling and it is a time saving process. As per the existing practice, after completion of the examinations, the answer scripts are received by the University from the Colleges. After completion of tearing work, the scripts are handed over to the said agency for scanning work. After scanning the answer scripts, they were sent to all Medical Colleges through online for digital valuation. The scanning was done by the book scan and not sheet scanning i.e., the OMR answer books and additional answer books are scanned without cutting them into sheets. Before starting digital valuation, instructions and guidelines were issued to the Principals, Camp Officers and Examiners on digital valuation of PG answer scripts. The digital valuation is same as manual valuation as per double valuation regulations. The first valuation was done at the time of practicals and the second valuation was done later. If there is more than 20% difference between the first valuation ad second valuation, the scripts are sent to the third valuation to other examiners who were not involved in the first two valuations. If there is no variation of 20% marks in the first two valuations, the average marks would be taken as marks secured by the candidate. In case of variation after third valuation, the average of the third valuation and the nearest of marks of either first or second valuation to the third valuation will be taken into consideration. The valuing illustration with regard to valuation is given as follows:

5.