Students who want a copy of their answer sheet will be able to access it digitally, without the delays that come with the current physical process. (File Photo)Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) is giving a fresh push to modernise its examination system, nearly three years after a similar effort stalled without being implemented. The university now plans to scan answer sheets immediately after examinations, store them on a cloud-based platform, and eventually introduce on-screen evaluation.The announcement came during the question-and-answer session on the second day of the University Senate’s budget meeting for 2025-26, which was chaired by Vice-Chancellor Dr Suresh Gosavi and attended by Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Parag Kalkar and Acting Registrar Charushila Gayake, among others.Why the push now?The issue was flagged by Senate member advocate Ishani Joshi, who pointed out that students were suffering academically because re-evaluation of answer sheets was taking far too long. Dr Kalkar acknowledged the problem and explained that as more affiliated colleges gain autonomous status, fewer faculty members are available to the university for re-evaluation duties, creating a bottleneck that technology could help resolve.“Under the proposed system, answer sheets will be scanned right after exams and stored securely on the cloud.Students who want a copy of their answer sheet will be able to access it digitally, without the delays that come with the current physical process. This is also expected to speed up re-evaluation significantly,” he added.In addition, the university is planning to introduce an on-screen evaluation system, where examiners assess digitised answer sheets on a computer rather than handling physical papers. Dr Kalkar said preliminary meetings on this have already taken place, and the university intends to run a pilot in select departments and faculties before rolling it out fully.Accessibility concerns raisedSenate member Dr Aparna Lalingkar raised a separate but equally pressing concern: the university’s compliance with UGC guidelines on accessibility audits, which require institutions to ensure their resources are usable by differently-abled students and staff. The university administration admitted that a comprehensive accessibility audit had not yet been done.Story continues below this adDr Lalingkar also pointed out that “SPPU does not even have data on how many differently-abled individuals are enrolled across its campus and affiliated colleges,” a gap she found troubling.Dr Kalkar responded by noting that, “The university’s website was audited in February 2023, and a new website has since been developed based on the recommendations from that audit. The new site is currently being tested for accessibility and ease of use for all stakeholders, including the differently-abled. It will also serve as a portal for software tools needed by affiliated colleges. A formal launch is expected once the verification process is complete.”The session turned tense when several Senate members expressed strong dissatisfaction over what they felt were inadequate responses to their questions. They demanded a formal apology. Following this, Vice-Chancellor Dr Suresh Gosavi obliged and tendered an apology to the house.Shubham Kurale is a journalist based in Pune and has studied journalism at the Ranade Institute. He primarily reports on transport and is interested in covering civic issues, sports, gig workers, environmental issues, and queer issues. X:@ShubhamKurale1 ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:pune university