Barely days after Delhi University’s (DU) Hansraj College administration called a parent-teaching meeting (PTM) for students with attendance lower than 50%, Aryabhatta College issued a similar notice. On May 8, the college authorities advised students with low attendance to get their parents and meet their teacher-in-charge (TIC), to decide the next course of action. Not only this, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (SBSC) has introduced a new graded detention system for students with low attendance, based on which 1,343 students have been debarred from taking exams.
The news goes viral and people say administration is doing something wrong. But the rule has not been made by us.” Manoj Sinha, Principal of Aryabhatta College
As per the DU rules, it is mandatory for students to have a minimum attendance of 66.67% in each semester. However, Manoj Sinha, principal of Aryabhatta College, feels “It’s being seen in a negative way”. “It is an ordinance by the university, not by us, and needs to be followed,” he adds. When we ask him, why PTM? Sinha, who is also the president of the Delhi University Principals’ Association (DUPA), says, “We are only calling parents of students who failed a condition of their admission.”
Students who are a part of the cultural societies are not happy with the college’s decision. “I’m a part of the dance soc, and between morning to evening practice sessions and hopping between colleges during the fest season, I do miss a few classes,” says a second-year student of Aryabhatta College, on the condition of anonymity, adding, “But I’ve never missed any tests or assignments. Now, despite getting good marks, I have to make my parents meet the teachers.”
Some students feel it’s important to pad-up their CV at this juncture of their life. Among them is a final-year student of SBSC, who shares on condition of anonymity, “We are in college, not school, and I’ve been busy taking up internships that will add strength to my CV. The college should be happy that students are going beyond classroom learning. ”
Meanwhile, principal of SBSC, Arun Kumar Attree, says, “You can’t treat someone with 60% attendance the same way you would a student with 12% attendance. The college is within its rights to detain a student if they don’t meet the criteria.” He adds that the detained students were given repeated notices, but they “didn’t pay any heed”.
“Before the pandemic our college used to call parents in case of low attendance. But that was not the case last year. We’ve been caught unaware!” A Final-year student of SBSC
SBSC’s Exam Appearance Cut-off:
- 50% – 66.66% — Not allowed to appear for one paper
- 30% – 49.99% — Not allowed to appear for two papers
- 10% – 29.99% — Not allowed to appear for three papers
- 0% – 9.99% — Not allowed to appear for any papers
