In a seemingly odd decision, Hansraj College in New Delhi issued a circular on May 3, in which students with attendance percentages lower than the minimum mandated attendance are asked to attend PTMs or Parent Teacher Meetings.
The circular from the Delhi University (DU)-affiliated college reads, “This is to inform all students having less than 67 per cent attendance that they should report with their parents to the college…”
On the same day, Ramjas College issued a circular announcing that undergraduate (UG) students from semesters II, IV, and VI would not be allowed to appear for exams if their attendance was less than 66.67 per cent.
Students of DU see these policies as the varsity administration’s attempts to introduce a system of mandatory attendance – which, according to them, acts as a hindrance to student life and academic performance. The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), in particular, has been fighting hammer and tongs against this policy.
According to them, several students, especially those who find it difficult to attend classes every day, could benefit from more flexible attendance rules. “There are many students with disabilities and chronic illnesses who cannot attend classes daily. A few students also live very far from the campus, and find it difficult to commute every day,” says Yashita Singhi, Vice-President of the Students’ Federation of India, Delhi Unit.
Further, she adds that the campuses need to be hospitable and institutionally strong for students to be able to study in them. “Several colleges close their canteens and libraries by 5 pm, rendering them unusable. Students, who live in accommodations and flats shared by multiple people, usually prefer to study in the libraries or other spaces on the campuses. If you restrict access to them, why would they want to come to college?” she asks.
Compulsory attendance in DU – a new menace?
The university introduced the compulsory attendance policy in September 2023 and mandated that students have a minimum attendance of 67 per cent. Students who fail to do so would be prevented from appearing for their exams, and those with medical concerns must produce a medical certificate to be able to do so. In addition, these students must also submit a Letter of Undertaking promising to have adequate attendance in the upcoming semesters.
In December 2023, several students were found to be ineligible to appear for the semester-end examinations due to low attendance. A report by Times of India stated that Shaheed Bhagat Singh College detained 1,397 students for having low attendance.
This policy has been implemented by the varsity as per the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) Undergraduate Curriculum Framework, 2022.
This policy, coupled with the inclusion of Skill Enhancement Courses (SEC) and Value Addition Courses (VAC) under the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), has led to students feeling burnt out, students say.
“Students are made to attend classes on ‘how to be happy’, under the FYUP, which have mandatory attendance. Because of these extra subjects, classes now end at 5 pm. Many students, who usually are involved in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, are finding a huge chunk of their day being taken away by classes alone,” explains Aditi Tyagi, SFI Delhi State Committee member.
With DU not offering hostel facilities, students also find it difficult to commute to college every day. “There have been several occasions when we came to college to find out that the class for the day has been cancelled. There have been days when only two or three classes were conducted. In those situations, students would prefer to stay at home. Commuting to college daily is also an expensive affair,” says Layana Sara Francis, an undergraduate Honours student of History at Hansraj College.
She further adds that the new circular issued by her college only makes students feel stressed, as many of them don’t have parents or legal guardians in Delhi. “Several students, myself included, are not from Delhi, and only came to the city for our education. We simply can’t ask our parents to drop everything and come to Delhi just to attend a meeting over attendance,” she says.
The very concept of having compulsory attendance, and summoning the parents of students who don’t meet the required attendance percentage is patronising, says Aditi.
“These students are old enough to vote, and most of them have moved out of their homes and cities to study here. Why is the administration treating them like schoolchildren?” she fumes.
Do Masters’ students have it worse?
Students pursuing their postgraduation (PG) in DU and its affiliated colleges say that the compulsory attendance policy poses a bigger inconvenience to them.
Aman Azad, a student of MA History at Ramjas College, DU and President of Ramjas College’s SFI Unit, says that several students work part-time, and even prepare for competitive exams while studying. “If you make it compulsory for students to attend classes, many of them won’t even be able to fund their degrees,” he says.
He further adds that due to this, castigating students who don’t attend classes as “lazy” is also unfair. “If bogus subjects are being taught in the name of Skill Enhancement Courses and Value Addition Courses, why would students want to attend them? Students would not have joined a university like DU in the first place if they were lazy,” he elaborates.
On April 29, 2024, students of the Department of English, DU, organised a protest against the compulsory attendance policy. A student from the department who took part in the protest, on the condition of anonymity, says that this was the result of months of frustration felt by the students because of the compulsory attendance policy.
“When the attendance policy was introduced, student groups in DU conducted a signature campaign in which students raised their voices against compulsory attendance. However, the administration rejected them, saying that every higher educational institution has to have a mandatory attendance policy as per the UGC norms,” she said.
She added that the administration had nothing to say when students pointed to the fact that the UGC guidelines applied to undergraduate students.
Further, she says that students also do not attend classes as they find a significant decrease in the quality of lecturers. “All competent lecturers have either been removed or being made to teach optional papers. The core subjects are being taught by lecturers with no experience or aptitude for teaching, and who were hired as they were connected to the current government and dominant ideology,” she alleges, adding that students would rather study by themselves.
Moreover, the student alleges that there were disparities in the attendance percentages of the students. She says, ”I broke my leg last year and had to submit my medical certificate five times just to be able to appear for the exams, while many students had more than 100 per cent attendance. Upon revision, my attendance was reduced further despite submitting my medical certificate.”
Criticising the administration of DU and its compulsory attendance policy, SFI, in an Instagram post said, “The DU admin should take a good look at themselves and how poorly they treat their students before concluding that the students are lazy for not being in the classrooms and punishing them even more for it,” adding that the varsity should take responsibility for the empty classrooms instead of blaming the students entirely for them.
