Attendance shortage: 225 students detained at PU
Ishrat S Banwait
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 8
As many as 225 undergraduate students of the department of evening studies have been detained at Panjab University. While until last semester, the university considered an aggregate of 75% attendance in all subjects, it implemented a norm that requires a minimum of 75% attendance in each subject this time.
Almost all these students had to miss their first exam, some of which had it on Friday, while others had it today. Over 100 students gathered outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office and held a protest. Dean (University Instructions) Dinesh Gupta assured to look into the matter and do his best for the students.
Gupta said, “The rule had been in the university’s calendar for over 30 years but we have implemented it now. Heads of university departments were supposed to inform students about it”. He added that students claimed of not being told about any such rule in their departments.
The chairperson of the evening studies department, Dr Gurpal Singh, said, “We have not even displayed any list yet, they are protesting just for the sake of it. The list has been sent to the DUI, who has 10 per cent attendance in his hands”. He added that the attendance for participation in events was yet to be included.
Last month, VC Arun Kumar Grover had visited the evening studies department and checked registers of teachers to match attendance records. It was the first time in the university history that such a step was taken by a VC. He had pointed out that some teachers were marking attendance on copies instead of attendance registers. The DUI had later asked for copies of attendance registers from teachers of the department.
