Bengaluru: Hundreds of undergraduate and postgraduate students across Karnataka are facing prolonged delays in receiving their marks cards, leaving them unable to apply for higher education, scholarships, and hostel accommodations. The reason is that the new system of issuing only the digital marks cards is not functioning efficiently.
The Karnataka government in 2021 made it mandatory for all universities to issue only digitised mark cards in order to do away with paper marks cards. A new platform, the Unified University & College Management System (UUCMS) managed by a private entity has been put in place with the responsibility of digitising marks cards and putting them in the designated platforms from where students can download their mark sheets.
However, the students have been claiming that the new system has not been functioning properly owing to persisting technical glitches making it difficult for them to download their marksheets. "Universities are asking us to use DigiLocker, but it doesn't work properly. We are left stranded with no solution," said Jeevan Arasu, a B.Com student from Mysore district.
Many students and activists blame the UUCMS platform for delays, citing poor implementation and technical failures. Advocate Bhiman Gowda, a leader of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), said "The UUCMS is a third-party private platform that has failed students and must be scrapped immediately. This isn't just about technical glitches; it's a governance failure." He also demanded reverting to the old system of issuing mark sheets in physical forms.
Some students even claim that online mark cards are not being accepted by companies during recruitment. "On one hand, universities are not issuing hard copies (of marks cards). On the other hand, soft copies are not trusted due to widespread online fraud and document manipulation," added Arasu.
While students demand immediate intervention, university Vice-Chancellors have distanced themselves from the matter. "The issue is up to the government, and we are helpless in this matter," several university officials reportedly told students.
When contacted by ETV Bharat, Srikar MS, Principal Secretary to the Higher Education Department, claimed it was an old issue and has already been resolved while many students whom ETV Bharat spoke to insisted that the problem remains unresolved. Meanwhile, universities continue to collect around Rs. 400 per student for printed copies, raising concerns of financial mismanagement. "For three years, universities have collected fees from lakhs of students, amounting to crores. Isn't this a large-scale scam?" questioned Advocate Bhiman Gowda.
Bhagyavan Mudigowder, Chairman, UUCMS, acknowledged the issue, stating, "Universities were supposed to stop collecting fees for hard copies of marks cards, as per the government's directive. If students still demand printed copies, it is a policy matter that the government must decide on."
Bhagyavan states that the government's decision to discontinue hard copies of mark cards and issue digital versions through DigiLocker follows the global trend, as several developed countries have adopted similar policies to make the process more convenient for students.
The crisis has led to widespread protests across Karnataka, led by SFI activists. In their memorandum to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, they demanded the immediate distribution of printed mark cards and the discontinuation of UUCMS. "This is not just a technical problem—it’s a systemic issue caused by mismanagement and lack of accountability," the memorandum stated.
