The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has resisted a move by the university administration that makes attendance mandatory for students registered in all programmes from winter session 2018.
A circular issued by Assistant Registrar of Evaluation Sajjan Singh said that the decision to make attendance compulsory was taken in the “Academic Council (AC) meeting held on December 1 and all schools, centres, and special centres have been asked to maintain an attendance record of all students”.
‘Will harass students’
JNUSU president Geeta Kumari said that the idea of not having an attendance system in the university was to encourage both teachers and students to evolve methods to ensure there is effective teaching and participation of students in the class and it was highly absurd to impose compulsory attendance.
“The question arises that JNU being a research university where both professors and students involve themselves in research, how logical would it be for students of MPhil and PhD to sign an attendance register daily. This new tool of compulsory attendance can also become a weapon in the hands of the administration to harass students as is being done in other universities,” said Ms. Kumari.
The JNUSU also alleged that there was no discussion about compulsory attendance in the AC meeting that the circular refers to.
“The attendance system was not even part of the agenda of the last AC meeting. It is shame and a grave threat to the institutional sanctity of JNU that the V-C has now made it a routine to misrepresent and manipulate the reporting of the statutory bodies in such a brazen manner,” said the JNUSU in a statement.
Students said that in the last two years, the V-C has tried to “destroy the inclusive and democratic character of the campus through anti-student policies”.
ABVP opposes step
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also hit out at the administration for the attendance circular, but blamed the JNUSU for not informing the community about what took place in the AC meeting on December 1.
“It is imperative to question the JNU administration as to what was the reason for bringing such a fundamental shift in the teaching method at JNU when it remains the best university in India. We should ask the V-C whether there has been any expert committee that suggested these changes. If yes, what is the reasoning? whom has it consulted? and why was such an important change passed without enough debate?” read a statement by the ABVP.
The outfit added that it would undertake a campaign to resist the “draconic move” by sensitising students to stand against the circular and compel JNU to roll back the move immediately.
