The University of Mumbai on Thursday allowed a 60-year-old, who is a former student of the institution, to continue his studies and complete his graduation that he had been forced to discontinue due to personal problems more than 35 years ago.
Mohan Iyer, an NRI living and working in Jakarta, Indonesia, was forced to discontinue his studies in 1976.
“At the time, I was pursuing a Commerce degree through the Directorate of Correspondence Courses, now known as the Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL), MU. Due to financial problems, I was forced to quit my studies and support my family. I then shifted to Kolkata, where I passed the entrance examination of the Madras University (Open Unive-rsity Scheme), and took admission to the B.Com degree course. However, I could only clear eight out of the 15 papers. Later, I shifted to Jakarta, Indonesia in 1991,” said Mr Iyer.
Throughout his professional career, Mr Iyer felt under-qualified. However, his desire to get a Bachelors degree rekindled, when he learnt that IDOL was conducting its admission process online this year.
Mr Iyer immediately contacted IDOL officials, namely the director Dr D. Harichandan, who encouraged him to get re-admitted and continue from where he had left off. However, it was easier said than done as Mr Iyer, who had got two ATKTs in the SYBCom exam he gave in 1976, was denied a chance to reappear for the two subjects due to change in the exam pattern. He was asked to continue his studies albeit from the first year. Mr Iyer then contacted Dr Harichandan.
When contacted, Dr Harichandan said, “I went through the case and found that though the pattern
had changed since 1976, Mr Iyer had completed his FYBCom and…could not be denied admission to the present SYBCom. I have personally informed him of the same.”
Mr Iyer is now a happy man. “I will apply online tomorrow.” He added that he would be travelling to India to appear for the exams in April 2013.