attendance Archives - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

Ahead of Semester Exams, SPM, Hindu Students Face Attendance Woes

By Kartik Chauhan November 25, 2019

The past week has seen turmoil over the matter of attendance and the issuance of admit cards to the students of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College for Women, and Hindu College.

Affiliated to the University of Delhi and located in Punjabi Bagh, the college boasts of a rich legacy of more than fifty years in serving quality education to young women.

According to a series of posts on social media, as well as first-hand student accounts, the administration and Principal of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College refused to give admit cards ahead of the University semester exams scheduled in November and December months, to the students who had been irregular in classes during the past semester. This move by the college administration has been taken on account of their attendance being less than the minimum mark of sixty-seven percent (67%), as specified by the University.

Moreover, as per the students, the Principal is not willing to accept any medical certificates or submission of leave applications. The students have also said that the college authorities have made it clear to the students that they will have to spend four years (i.e. 3+1 years) to complete their degree, in light of this decision.

In response to these decisions, the students of the college, led by Tushar Baisla, the Chief Executive Councillor (EC) of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), raised their voices and organised a sit-in at the college gate to demand for their admit cards. The ABVP-backed student leader’s posts on social media regarding this matter read ‘…she (the Principal) said in front of all the students that she will charge a case of molestation to me and rusticate students who are asking for the admit card. I request upper authorities to have a look at this matter so that students of the college do not face any problem.”

A final year Economics Honours student of the college, who chose to be anonymous, said, “They (the college administration) should have warned us, they cannot take arbitrary decisions.”

A final word from the college is awaited on this matter.

A similar situation was also faced by the students of Hindu College, where those having less than forty percent (40%) attendance during the semester, were denied admit cards. However, the admit cards were given to the students by November 25th, 2019, after the ‘Collective – Hindu College’ planned to address the college authorities, on this matter.

As per the message that had been circulated on WhatsApp groups by the Collective, ‘withholding of admit cards by the Hindu College administration, has happened for the first time, no prior information was given to the students about this intention of the administration in the beginning of the semester. Thus, no due process of issuing a warning to students was followed by the administration, as mandated by the University.”

Notably, students active in the performing arts society were targeted by the administration, to much agitation and revulsion. The nation-wide representation of the college, made possible by dramatics, dance, and music societies was levelled down as the parents and concerned guardians of these students were alerted via unsolicited calls. The administration went to the extent of suggesting the parents to remove their wards from the respective societies and instead enforce academic aspirations. It was only after this performative disciplinarian action that the students were given their admit cards, however, not without signing an undertaking first.

While on the one hand, the issue seems to be resolved by the Hindu College administration, uncertainty still looms over the decision in Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College.

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Bhavya Pandey

Bazinga

Bazinga: DU to Give Free Attendance for Social Work

By Shivani Dadhwal October 24, 2019

University of Delhi (DU) released an official notification stating that free attendance would be provided for social work, and for the promotion of social awareness among students.

After continuous protests by All India Students Activism (AISA), DU has agreed to recognise social work as a parameter for attendance concession.

On 12th October, the Varsity released a notification on its website, stating that social work has now become applicable for attendance concession, along with sports and various extra curricular activities. This step has been taken to promote social work and humanitarian relief initiatives among the students.

Earlier, AISA, along with National Service Scheme (NSS), was protesting in North Campus to demand free attendance for social relief activities. The main aim was to bring NSS and social work at par with the cultural societies that are largely celebrated in the University circuit. Kamalpreet Kaur, President, AISA, told DU Beat, “Students who spend their time working for the society, going on relief trips or workshops often face repercussions when they miss classes. They get punished instead of rewarded.“

The University, in their press release, has regulated that minimum of 50 hours of service per week is required to be eligible for 33 percent attendance concession. NSS representatives and core team will be eligible for 7 percent more than the rest.

The criterion as extends its benefits to students not affiliated to NGOs, and are working towards betterment of the society apart from NSS. Activities involving education of the underprivileged, awareness about sanitation and hygiene , working against discrimination, social awareness drives, book donations, cleanliness drives and plantation drives have been recognised under this.

Students who are not part of NSS, but are working with recognised NGOs and companies are also eligible for the attendance. Independent students with valid certificates as per the list released by the university also come under this category. The lack of NSS enrolment has been the major factor for this decision.

The notification, however, still does not recognise Women Development Cell for free attendance but students with valid certificates can still apply for the confession.

Yagesh Tyagi, Vice Chancellor of DU, said, “Delhi University is a premier institution of India. We want each and every student to contribute to India’s upliftment. Social work is as important as any course or society.”

He also added that the aim is to integrate social work in mainstream activities of the University. Allegedly, the University will further take steps to integrate social work quota even for admissions.

Feature image credits: Gauri Ramachandran for DU Beat

Chhavi Bahmba

News

Vivekananda College Denies Admit Cards to Students with Low Attendance; Clashes follow

By DU Beat May 5, 2019

Clashes between the students and administration broke out at Vivekananda College Friday as students with low attendance were denied admit cards. The administration is allegedly manhandling the students, the teachers not signing the medical certificates, and the Students’ Union, too, is being uncooperative.

Violence broke out in Vivekananda College on Monday when the students whose attendance fell short were not given admit cards. These students also went on a hunger strike from the 30^th April to the 1^st May.

On 25^th April, a list had been circulated, which mentioned the names of students whose attendance was lower than 67%. It also said that these students were not applicable for receiving admit cards unless they presented a medical certificate. The students’ pleas to the administration went unanswered, so they resorted to violence, breaking the windows etc. of the college.

The strike finally came to a halt when the officiating Principal, Dr Hina Nandrajog, met the students. Priyanka, the President of the Students’ Union, said that the Principal agreed to accept medical certificates for the fifth and the sixth semesters. According to our sources, many teachers have refused to sign the medical certificates saying that it is ‘unethical’ and they might lose their jobs if they do.

The detained students haven’t been allowed to enter the college in the last two days, security forces have been deployed to stop them from coming in. A new rule dictates that the students must be accompanied by teachers in order to enter college premises. According to the protesters, the teachers have stopped answering their phone calls.

“Students have protested and a hunger strike also happened but the admin remains unshaken. Now she (the Principal) has banned our entry in the college and there is police force to stop us from entering our own college. We are the ID card holders of the college and still, we are not allowed to enter…(sic) So, I guess that isn’t fair. Though we have short attendance, I guess the principal should listen to us and provide us with a solution rather than just declaring that we need to repeat the session,” said a detained student who wished to stay anonymous.

For many students, the semester exam begins on the 6th of May, and for some, the looming fear of repeating the session hangs in the air. “Some people could have genuine issues and some students have financial issues and cannot repeat the session at any cost. What about them? I do understand the rules of the college but there is a solution if the principal is fair enough,” added another student.

Priyanka denied the allegation that students couldn’t get their medical certificate signed. “They stirred up violence in the college, they protested, I asked them to calm down but they didn’t listen. They must be polite with the teachers and respect them; nothing can move forward otherwise.”

The protesters, on the other hand, claim that the Students’ Union has barely shown any support.

“They didn’t work for us all year, they don’t even come to college these days, they told us that they need to study for their exams and stayed home while we were being manhandled by the administration and the police. How do we trust them?” added another detained student.

“I waited outside the college gate in this heat for hours today, they wouldn’t let me in,” said a detained student “I don’t know what options do we have left anymore, we wrote applications to the principal, Dean of social welfare and the Vice Chancellor of the university. We are awaiting their response.”

Speaking to DU Beat, Sidharth Yadav, State Secretary, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) Delhi said, “Students from various colleges are suffering because the university is strictly imposing the requirement for minimum attendance but have ignored the prerequisite condition of the minimum number of classes in an academic year. ABVP has taken up the issue in various colleges like Vivekanand, Ram Lal Anand, Ramanujan, Janaki Devi Memorial College, Jesus and Mary College, amongst others and we are fighting so that students don’t suffer. The strike by the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) had suspended the classes for a long time and so the students are at the suffering end. Few colleges are even not accepting medical certificates or are not acknowledging ECA certificates. This is a sad state. We demand that either university should have organised tutorial/remedial classes or there should be relaxation to the criteria.

In a video posted online, protesters are seen banging against the big black metal college gate in a fit of rage, they swing it around in hopes to break it open. In light of the same, many from both the teacher and the student community are of the opinion that it was the protesting students who were in the wrong. “These students have very low attendance,” says Bhavya, a student of Vivekananda College. “After being denied the admit card, they resorted to violence. Windows were shattered and they were abusing our principal, after which the principal decided to call the police. A friend told me that the protesters tried to disrupt the practical exams last week. Their behaviour towards the administration was completely unacceptable and wrong.”

The President ensures that most of the students will get their admit cards by Monday; however, the protesters remain doubtful, their future uncertain.

Shakti Singh came to the college on 7th May, broke open the gates along with the protesters and barged into the Principal’s office. Even after repeated pleas of the students, Nandrajog refused to budge from her decision to not grant admit cards to students with attendance of less than 67%.

The protesters even sat in front of her car to block the way, but were forcibly removed by the police. They are thinking of moving to the HC with a case against her.

Today, 8th May, parents of the students will come to the college to have a word with the Principal.

Image Credits: DU Beat

Jaishree Kumar

DU Attendance Menace

By DU Beat November 3, 2018

Attendance criteria have never been one of the more appealing factors for college students, and Delhi University students are no strangers to the frustration this causes.

Delhi University mandates a minimum of 67% attendance for students to be eligible to appear for their semester exams. Adding to that, DU sets aside five per cent marks that are only awarded to students according to their attendance in a particular semester.

However, recently, it has been observed that colleges like Hansraj College have mailed cautionary letters to the homes of most attendance defaulters. In copies obtained by DU Beat, it was seen these letters consisted of the incorrect letterhead and grammatical errors. This makes one question the veracity of these letters that most students feel threatened by. Additionally, these letters are addressed to parents, and not students. This also makes one question the ethics of this, considering the fact that all students are adults and are held personally liable for all their actions (pertaining to activities in college) and usually, such an action is considered an invasion of one’s privacy.

It is a well-known fact that the attendance guidelines are used to incentivise students to maintain their attendance. Despite this, large numbers of students continuously fail to fulfil even the minimum requirement. This is because of a variety of reasons.

Many students live off campus, that adds to the travel time for most students who might not find the commute ‘worth it’. Classes are usually unevenly dispersed over slots from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., sometimes with 3-4 hour gaps in between. This is mostly due to logistical issues, pertaining to paucity of lecture halls or teachers. The advertisement section of the University of Delhi (DU) website stands proof of the number of vacancies in DU currently, right in the middle of the academic year.

Another reason for the same is extracurricular activities that occur during college hours. These are extremely important to cultivate your talents, increase your skill set, add to your CV, and develop your overall personality. Most colleges offer attendance benefits but these are only taken into consideration in case if students represent the college in competitions. Some colleges like Gargi College have different attendance requirements (34%) for students involved in cultural societies, while others don’t. This lack of transparency and these arbitrary changes in policy only add to students’ frustration.

Students working for society fests are often denied attendance benefits. Atishay Jain, a second-year student at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) said, “I spent days preparing for our CMS (Computers and Mathematics Society) Fest, and only received benefits for 1 of the actual 3 days of the Fest. I think it becomes a trade-off between managing co-curricular and managing attendance. I choose the latter.” Adding to this, it is up to the discretion of teachers whether or not they want to consider benefits. Many teachers of SRCC refuse to do so.

Mostly, it is observed that the classes don’t offer any intrinsic knowledge to students, with monotonous course material and teaching methods. Last minute lecture cancellations, without substitutes, are also a proponent of apathy and absenteeism among students. Some colleges also fail to provide students with minimum lecture hours, as a recent Delhi High Court case highlights. In Jule 2018, the Delhi High Court slammed Delhi University for detaining a large number of law students on the ground of “lack of attendance” despite the varsity’s failure to conduct the requisite number of classes for the sixth and final semester from January to May. The judgment was passed on a batch of petitions filed by final-year law students of DU challenging the arbitrary manner in which students were detained by the university this year by citing lack of attendance.

It is another well-known fact that for most colleges, this debarring isn’t stringently followed through by the authorities themselves. The administration makes attendance defaulters sign an undertaking, a promissory note guaranteeing fulfilment of the required criteria in the immediately succeeding semester.

These factors add to students’ frustration and uncertainty, with growing apprehension to mandatory attendance requirements. This also makes one question the quality of lectures and tactics (or lack thereof) employed by colleges to make their students attend classes.

Feature Image Credits: Hans India

Nikita Bhatia

Bazinga

BAZINGA: Attendance Compulsion Eliminated from Indian Universities

By Bhavya Banerjee August 11, 2018

On 30th July 2018, the UGC had released a press statement that declared the removal of attendance compulsion for Bachelor’s and Master’s courses in Indian universities affiliated to it.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) had released the press statement on Monday, 30th July 2018. The same had declared that from the forthcoming semester, there would be no compulsion of maintaining a particular percentage of attendance in order to be deemed eligible to sit for the semester examinations. According to a statement of UGC Chairman, Mr. D.P. Singh, several dialogue exchanges between student bodies, and the UGC had led to the ultimate decision.

Back when Rocky Tuseed’s Presidency in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) was not yet disqualified, he and other senior members of the DUSU had been in talks with the UGC and had also filed petitions with regard to the unfairness of the system of compulsory attendance.
Before the new guidelines were announced, the University of Delhi (DU) had in place strict regulations and norms to detain those students who had attendance below the margin of 66.66% from taking their semester exams. Many schools of thought had argued that the operandi of attendance compulsion at the college-level blatantly shielded poor teaching methods.

Saugata Bhaduri, a Professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), told The Telegraph in 2016, “In JNU where I teach, and which is generally considered the best university of the country, it is officially stated that attendance is not required. Yet we run classes to full capacity and more, with students, not only coming to every scheduled class on their own without any rule asking them to do so, but actually seeking out every opportunity for extra classes and additional academic opportunities. That is what educational institutions should aspire for.”
When the notice by the UGC was released, Shashi Tharoor, a Member of Parliament, had immediately expressed his delight on the piece of news by tweeting, “A move to move from over-regulation to quality learning.”

However, many quarters within India wonder whether it will improve the quality of education whether it will improve the quality of education in India or if it will lead to an increase in complacence in students. Lavina Mulani, a first-year student pursuing B.Sc. (Hons) from Miranda House, responded to the new UGC guidelines, by saying, “It may be true that students will attend the classes that interest and stimulate them. But in colleges, the dilemma between skipping classes and participating in cultural activities will also be highlighted by the new norms. It is upon the student’s will to choose the course of his or her education. The question is are we truly ready for the responsibility?”
With the UGC’s populist move to remove attendance mandates, students now have the freedom of choice. Whether this choice aggrandises indiscipline or enhances the quality of learning, only time is equipped to answer.

DISCLAIMER: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted!

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times
Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

Delhi University to Introduce Online Attendance Management System

By Bhavya Banerjee July 23, 2018

University of Delhi (DU) held a training programme on 13^th July 2018 for principals, teachers, and time-table convenors.

The teachers of the University of Delhi have been asked to mark attendance in ‘real time’ digitally, as opposed to the practice of marking it after classes get over. Presently, the marking of attendance in Delhi University is done manually on registers, and is updated digitally at the end of the month. Following the commencement of the new academic semester, the above mentioned system might be re-vamped into a more modern arrangement. The new system in-talks in the varsity is set up through the university intranet, however the teachers are concerned about days when a certain class is conducted outside the classroom or adjusted for some other day, as often times the lectures do get cancelled or rescheduled.

This development comes to us post a training programme being conducted by the Computer Centre of Delhi University for the introduction of the Attendance Management System (AMS) for colleges. The workshop witnessed principals, time-table convenors and in-charges in attendance.

A time-table convenor told The Indian Express, “We were told that this system has been prepared entirely by the university. As per my understanding, the teacher has to take his/her attendance online in the class and the system will only work in the campus.” The colleges were told that for now, it was not “mandatory”. But looking at their presentation, it seemed like it can be introduced anytime this year,”

A time-table convenor on the condition of anonymity told the DU Beat correspondent in a telephonic conversation that, “The system does not seem flexible and accommodating towards the way the lectures are actually conducted in the colleges.

The AMS system was implemented last year on a pilot basis in four colleges and the Delhi School of Journalism. The efforts to digitise attendance will be prioritised and expanded within more colleges of the University.

Attendance has always been a concern for the students of DU, and has often created contention between the student body and the college administrations due to the fact that many students are detained from examinations if they do not match the 66% attendance criteria. This year, many students of Miranda House, Faculty of Law, and Aryabhatta College were detained, which led to severe displays of protests from the students of the mentioned colleges. Law students even took the university to the court after they were detained for not having enough attendance.

Certain teachers allege that the AMS system is just a way to monitor the teachers attendance as opposed to the students. They claim that this initiative that is being branded as a “positive reform” for the students, is actually just a way to keep tabs on the teachers of the University. They also raised their concerns over how the AMS will come into practice when they take their students out for educational trips to libraries and historical sites in their lectures.

The Vice Chancellor of DU, Professor Yogesh Tyagi told the Times of India, “In order to bring transparency and primarily help students keep a track of their attendance, this system is being planned so that students don’t fall short of attendance.”

Bhavya Banerjee

[email protected]

Attendance and Admit Cards: A Tale of Woe for Students

By Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak April 27, 2018

It is the season of examinations, and along with it, is also the season of uncertainty and apprehension for the students who frequent their colleges like a blue moon frequents the sky.

According to the Varsity mandated rules, students of the University of Delhi (DU) need to maintain at least 67% attendance in order to sit for the end semester examinations. For those who don’t, pleading the professors to consider their Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) attendance, or visiting a shady doctor for a medical certificate are some of the extreme choices one has, since the college is technically bound to act under the rules of the University and detain those with less attendance.

Things look especially uncertain for the third year students in some colleges, like Miranda House, as they have been told that they won’t be able to sit for the examinations if they do not have the required attendance.

In South Campus, Sri Venkateswara College has not been given the admit cards till now. Prabal Khatri, President of Sri Venkateswara Students’ Union, told the DU Beat correspondent, “There are no issues for third year students. Earlier, the 67% attendance requirement used to apply to the final year students as well. But this year, our Union has been able to bring it down to 0%, providing huge respite for them.”

When asked about whether the college administration is lenient for the first and second year students as well, Khatri remarked, “For them, even if the required attendance is 67% according to the Varsity mandated rules, our union has brought the benchmark down to 35%. However, there are some students who never show up to class, neither do they have ECA’s, nor medical certificates to justify their low attendance. Those people are of course not given the admit cards.”

In Miranda House, a meeting to determine whether third year students with below 40% attendance will receive their admit cards is slated to be held. While in the past years, the administration would not withhold the admit cards for the final year students, this year, the college has constantly maintained, right from the beginning of the semester, that they would be more stringent with attendance requirements, even for final year students.

In a phone call conversation with the correspondent, Mahi, a final year student from Miranda House remarked, “The final year students have coaching and have to prepare for entrances. So the administration is usually more understanding with us. However, I do not know about the changes brought about this year.” Since none of the final year students have been given their admit cards till now, a cloud of uncertainty looms over their futures.

It is to be noted that, amidst the first and second year students who have already received their admit cards, there are students with attendance below 40%, who are still struggling to get their admit cards. A member of the college administration told DU Beat on condition of anonymity, “Even as the college is prepared to be flexible with the final year students, we have instructions to be uncompromising with the first and second year students.”

Nestling in the heart of North Campus, is Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), boasting cut-offs that rise as high as 99.25%. SRCC is surprisingly not as strict as some of its neighbours in campus, when it comes to attendance issues.

The Corporate Communications Head of the Students’ Union, Shrimann Adhith, held that until last year, the 67% requirement of attendance in order to be eligible to sit for the exams was not followed. It is only from the current academic session that students require the aforementioned percentage of attendance to get their admit cards. Shrimann went on to say, “Even if they do not maintain the required attendance, the students would eventually be given the admit card. However, they would be made to sign an undertaking.”

Sonul, a sports student from Gargi College, does not seem stressed about getting her admit card. She says, “If any of the third year students does not have the required attendance, they will be made to sign an undertaking. At the most, their parents will be called. But they will eventually be allowed to sit for the exams.”

Contrastingly, in Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Himansh Pandey, current President of ‘Anhad’, the Music Society of the college, told DU Beat, “even if you are a part of a cultural society, you do not get ECA attendance. After a lot of protest, the Principal promised us that they will bring down the bar of required attendance for students of cultural societies to 30%. However, for other students, 67% attendance requirement is strictly followed, without which they do not get their admit cards.” However, he also added, “The worst case scenario is that your parents are called. But the final year students are given the fated sheet of admittance even if they have to stand in lines from 9 to 5, and fight with the administration.”

For the students of Lady Shri Ram College, things appear uncertain as there has been no word from the administration. When the DU Beat correspondent asked Amita Yadav, the President of the college, whether the third year students with below 67% attendance would be allowed to sit for the exams or not, she said, “There has been no word from the side of the administration till now.”

One common trend witnessed in most of the colleges is the lack of communication from the side of the administration. With less than 10 days left for the exams, students are still uncertain about whether they would receive their admit cards or not.

With most colleges having already celebrated their farewell, is this lack of communication justified? As the final year students gear up to step into the outside world of jobs and higher studies, isn’t keeping them second-guessing about their examinations a sheer lack of transparency?

These are some of the questions we need to pose to the administration departments of the colleges.

Feature Image Credits: HansIndia

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

[email protected]

DUB Speak

Why Attendance Marks are Unfair

By DU Beat April 12, 2018

One of the most debatable regulations of the University of Delhi is that of attendance marks. Not only does it restrict one’s right to choice, but also poses as a forceful and logically unfair rule. Though the concept of minimum attendance can still be logically debated, attendance marks must be scrapped.

One of the most debatable regulations of DU is the allocation of marks in accordance with percentage attendance.

Clause 2.2.3. (http://grs.du.ac.in/Important%20University%20Rules.htm)

There shall be 5% weightage for attending lectures regularly. The credit rating is as follows:

67-70%: 1 Mark
70-75%: 2 Marks
75-80%: 3 Marks
80-85%: 4 Marks
85% above: 5 marks

Though this should not be considered an objection to the minimum attendance criteria, marks for attendance is not a fair practice and can easily be ruled out with reason if the authorities are willing to listen.

It is an almost ‘forceful’ method of making the students attend the classes and is based on the wrong assumption that marks, an indication of a student’s capability and understanding of the curriculum, will increase in relation to the number of days one attends college. College is a student’s choice and the people who are genuinely interested in the lecture will attend it irrespective of this, while the others who attend college for the 5 “free marks” end up disrupting the teaching-learning process entirely. The college logic is somewhat like:at the age of 18, our students, who have the right to vote for who governs us will definitely not have the intelligence to decide how many classes they must attend. It needs to be understood that the ‘students’ they are teaching have already developed their character, thoughts, and decision making power. It is not logical to thus, regulate matters of their ability to choose.

Instead of keeping marks as the incentive, DU should work on making its classes interesting enough for students to attend on their own. They must note the attendance in order to judge the classroom experience. When teachers know that to avoid teaching empty classrooms they’d have to work hard, it is sure to raise the level of teaching!Furthermore, it is important to note that not all the students live in the same proximity to the campus. Some students are one hundred twenty minutes away, while some others live right inside the campus. The proximity makes the task of attending the classes difficult or easier respectively,and is therefore, not fair to all. Last minute cancellation of classes or a single class a day further discourages students who live far away from attending college.

Marks are supposed to be given to those students who are aware about the course they are pursuing. However, this rule is just a like a transaction of time to gain marks. Just by attending classes one cannot guarantee that the student has gained any more information about the subject. It is important to see how this system also leads to partial score inflation. Aftera student’s score on tests or other assessments increases,it does not reflect any genuine improvements in learning. Due to this, the final marks of a student with less aptitude may even be greater than that of student with more aptitude. Attendance has turned just into a formality! It is now rather the reverse psychology that further demotivates the students.

Darshita Sharma, a student from Sri Ventakeshwara College, says, “This actually moulds the student’s mind in a way where they just have to fight for marks.Relating marks with everything will not really help educating students.”

Furthermore, it needs to be mentioned that learning can happen outside the classroom too! One’s CV is not decorated by marks alone. One needs to indulge in extra curriculum, internships, and work experience in order to make one’s impression. These don’t always provide ECA or work according to the college timings and therefore, are the easiest way to lose out on attendance. However, the student is still gaining practical knowledge; something that can never happen within the classroom. But it is reflected badly on the CV with lesser marks.

Lastly, it should not be thought that it is a drastic new change. DU’s FYUP had done away with this ordeal and it’s time to scrap it for the others too.

Professor Jenny from the English Department of Miranda House is one amongst the many lecturers who disagrees with the system. Providing alternatives, she said, “Instead of hyper focusing on attendance, we need to give more importance to creating syllabi that is relevant for students from diverse social locations , move out of the boring lecture mode of teaching , have smaller classrooms and make the classroom a more interesting and interactive space. For this we need more funding in education and a rethinking of educational policies, both at the primary and higher levels.”

Image Credits : TimeSheets

Khyati Sanger
[email protected]

The Ongoing War: Attendance Vs Admit Card

By DU Beat November 26, 2017

As mid-semester examination are approaching, the age old tension of attendance shortage is being clearly visible on many students faces. With lots of hustle and bustle, students manage to get a high percentage to land in India’s best university but then the monster of attendance still manages to get a 100% in every educational institution.
Let’s hear what the experts have to say on this at Quora:

“This really depends on which college you’re in. Some colleges are super strict about these rules, and some are super relaxed. To give you an example of the range, I know people who’ve had no problem collecting admit cards for their exams with 4% attendance, along with people who’ve had to sign bonds for 65% attendance, just to be able to site for exams. The fluctuations happen because even though the University has a common guideline of 67% attendance, colleges end up making their individual rules for attendance requirements. Depending on how seriously your college takes this matter, the possible consequences are: Relaxed attendance rules

Go ahead and collect your admit card, without any hassles.

Moderately strict rules

You’ll have to sign a bond that says that you’ll maintain the required attendance mark in the coming semester.

Very strict rules + Very low attendance%

You’ll be debarred from the exams, and parents might be involved. This situation might incite hunger strikes and protests from the affected students in the college.”

As per 2016, sources said that more than 100 students, whose attendance was below 66.67 per cent, have been detained across all colleges in the University. While some colleges such as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) College has detained 48 students, Dyal Singh College has detained 55 students across 15 courses. “We have detained 48 students this semester across all courses. Their continuation in the college is subject to two conditions — if they have cleared their first semester papers, then they will come back next year when the incumbent batch reaches the second semester. But if the student has not cleared his first semester papers, but has been detained in the second semester too, he will lose his seat in the college,” said SK Garg, principal, DDU College.

Now only the dates of receiving admit card will decide if medical certificates can still save the students’ careers!

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Naimisha