Hyderabad: A Social media post by Delhi University (DU) Professor, Rakesh Kumar Pandey on “Marks Jihad” has enraged teachers and students alike.
A professor of Physics from Kirori Mal College, Rakesh Pandey put up a post on Facebook alleging ”Marks Jihad”. He alleged that the Kerala Education Board awarded 100% marks to many students, leading to over admission of students from the state in certain courses at Delhi University.
“A college had to admit 26 students in a course having 20 seats only because they all had 100 percent marks from the Kerala board. For last few years, Kerala board is implementing – #MarksJihad,” he wrote on Facebook.
Pandey, a former president of the RSS affiliated National Democratic Teacher’s Front stated on Wednesday that the inexplicable flow of students from the southern states to DU couldn’t be taken as an unintentional or benign development.
He alleged that such developments could be connected with left-aligned institutions such as the Jawaharlal Nehru University. “One can connect this with the left aligned institutions loosening political hold, universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University,” he stated.
Pandey was of the view that the “Pandemic may have played a role in students securing 100% marks, adding further that such a trend was visible earlier as well”. he further added that DU should conduct entrance examinations to filter the students who could use the merit-based admission to their advantage.
The teacher equated the high percentage of marks with Jihad stating, “Love done with the intention other than love is ‘love jihad’ and marks allocation with the intention guided by reasons other than academics is marks jihad.”
The professor’s remarks have drawn strong reactions from the student community. DU convenor of the Student Federation of India (SFI), Akhil KM was quoted by The Times of India saying, “We condemn the post where Pandey disparages the Kerala board for the commendable work of its students and uses terms such as ‘marks jihad.”