97,000 Mumbai University students affected by missing documents

More than 97,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programs at Mumbai University  will be affected by the  non-submission of  eligibility documents  by  colleges where they have sought admission. 

 

University records show 14,442 students with pending documents from 2019-20, 12,281 from 2020-21, 22,900 from 2021-22, and a whopping 47,610 in 2022-23.

The defaulting institutions include Anjuman-I-Islam’s M.H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering, K.J Somaiya College , Rizvi College if Architecture  and Thakur College of Engineering and Technology.

 

To prod the defaulters, the varsity has published a list of the 152 non-compliant colleges, predominantly  autonomous affiliates, that have failed to submit admission records since 2019.

The  errant colleges have been warned they will not be allowed  to admit students for the upcoming academic year unless the pending documents are submitted within a month.

 

MU rules stipulate the registration of eligibility documents in the same year as first-year admissions. These include proof of educational qualifications, address, age proof and migration and transfer certificates, which  are mandatory  for verifying  eligibility.

 

All copies of  officially-issued  documents must be certified as true copies of the original. This means that the copies must be stamped and signed by the issuing institution, or a notary public.

Copies can only be made from the original officially issued document, for example degrees, diplomas, certificates, etc. Copies of copies ae not accepted.

 

Students are allowed to appear for exams but as things stand,  they have been stranded in limbo between  2019 and  2023 since 152 colleges out of 900 failed to submit the crucial  documents even after multiple reminders from the University and the extension of the deadline to September 30.

 

This delay not only impacts institutional credibility but also puts the academic futures of thousands of students at stake,” Mumbai  University  said in a statement.

 

“All the defaulting  institutions have once again been given an extension of a month’s deadline.We have been lenient but henceforth the admission of students from colleges that do not submit the requisite  documents along with the prescribed fees within the said period will be cancelled and such colleges will be denied permission to conduct the admission process for the next academic year 2025-26,” said Pooja Raudale, Director, Examination and Evaluation Board. 

In  the past four years, missing documentation  has created difficulties for students pursuing further education and employment  opportunities, she said.

 

However, some college administrators point to practical difficulties   in document submission. A college principal  said, “Students can arrange for the certificates during the vacations. However, many submit migration certificates only  after the admission process concludes. University officials need to consider the  practical challenges colleges admins  face.”

 

Needless to say, original documents belong to students. The relevant documents are required by the  college/ university  only for  verification of the information provided in the application at the time of taking admission. Usually, the originals should be returned within a reasonable period. In any case, the college/ university is not authorised to retain original documents.