Short of attendance? PU frames rules for admission

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 19

Panjab University (PU) is all set to remove confusion over promotion to the next semester in case a person is short of attendance.

A committee comprising Dean of University Instructions (DUI) Prof Meenakshi Malhotra and Senator Prof Navdeep Goyal has now framed the rules.

In the PU, 75 per cent attendance is mandatory, though a chairperson could condone some lectures for medical reasons and participation in cultural or sports. So far, there was a confusion in promotion to the second semester in case of short attendance in the first semester.

Now, for all BA or BSc (honour school), MA, MSc and MSc (honour school) courses, Rule 12.3 of the PU Calendar Volume II, 2007, would apply. It says: “A candidate who does not fulfill the attendance requirement for any course will have to repeat the instruction in that course when it is offered next, if he requires credit for that.”

However, for those courses “where students are detained subject-wise, due to shortage of attendance, they will be allowed admission to the next semester provided they fulfill the other prescribed conditions as per regulations for that course”.

Such students will have to attend the requisite number of lectures as and when feasible in the subject in which they were detained to fulfill the attendance requirement in that subject and subsequently, they will have to take the examination of that subject as per provisions in the regulations.

For all UG or PG courses, which are governed by specified regulatory authorities such as Bar Council of India, All India Council of Technical Education, Dental Council of India and Pharmacy Council of India, the norms prescribed by them would be followed. The Syndicate will take a final call on the rules in its meeting on February 24. As per DUI Prof Meenakshi Malhotra, for traditional courses overall attendance will be counted but for certain courses such as engineering in the University Institute of Engineering and Technology, subject-wise attendance is counted.

Student leaders oppose mandatory attendance

Jashan Kamboj, president, Panjab University Campus Students Council, said: “In my opinion, the mandatory attendance should be limited to 60 per cent instead of 75 per cent. Also, students who take part in extracurricular activities and represent the university should be given further relaxation in attendance.” Harman Deep, an SFS leader, said: “We are against 75 per cent compulsory attendance. It is a way to restrict students to the classes. Even after attending 75 per cent classes if good results are not coming then who will take the responsibility?”