St Stephen's College withdrew the suspension of students for missing morning assembly. This comes after the college's decision to suspend and not allow over 100 students to appear for the examination received criticism. On February 20, Tuesday, the college withdrew the decision clarifying that the email sent to students was "incorrectly worded" and "miscommunicated".
In an email addressed to students and their parents, Stephen's College Principal John Varghese clarified that there would be no suspension on attendance for the morning assembly. "On Saturday, 17th February 2024 an email was sent from my office. It was a miscommunication, incorrectly worded and my sincere apologies for that. I was also not copied on that email, a practice which is normally followed when I instruct my office to communicate, in written mode, on my behalf. Let me therefore set right the matter through this email," the email by Varghese read, as stated in a report by PTI.
Adding more, he justified that the morning assembly held in the college is an old tradition and not organised as a religious exercise while pointing out that the small portions from several religious and philosophical texts are read out during the assembly. "Every college has its unique set of practices and traditions, and St Stephen's College is no different. The morning assembly in College is an old tradition of the College. It is not a religious event even though small portions from several religious and philosophical texts are read out," he wrote in the email.
Email to students and parents
He added that students, especially those studying in the first year, are expected to attend the morning assembly to "understand the history, traditions and practices" of the college. Additionally, the email was addressed to parents of students to keep them informed about the performance of their wards.
"Parents are important stakeholders in the broad-based, wholesome education that College provides, and it is in this spirit that parents were addressed in the incorrectly worded email. Inadvertent and serious errors crept into that email. My apologies for that," he wrote adding that the college will continue to engage with parents of students for their welfare.
Further, he asked parents who were not able to meet him to fix an appointment with his office to discuss the matter with them. "Students are encouraged to attend the morning assembly and parents will continue to be kept informed of the performance of their wards," he said.
Criticism from students, parents, faculty
Earlier in the day, teachers and students raised concerns over the matter and students said their parents were asked to meet the principal over the issue, failing which, the students were barred from sitting for the exam. The students had said setting up an appointment was not feasible for many "since their parents do not live in Delhi-NCR and, hence, it wasn't possible for them to travel all the way to Delhi at short notice due to prior commitments, scheduling issues, and financial issues".
"Regrettably, due to non-compliance with the request, I inform you that the students will not be allowed to sit for the upcoming examination as consequences of the suspension," the email sent to the students' parents and guardians read. The students claimed that their attempts to fix appointments without their guardians were also rejected.
The move drew flak from all quarters including teachers from the college who said it was against university rules to "force" students to take part in a religious activity. The teacher had also demanded disciplinary action against the person concerned who sent the email, PTI reported.
