With Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration making attendance mandatory for all students from the next semester the left ruled JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) has vehemently opposed the move.
let controlled JNUSU has criticised the move in the name of safeguarding the student’s interest. Right wing students wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is also not behind in politicising the issue. ABVP has expressed its ‘dissonance’ against mandatory attendance and planned the effigy burning of JNU administration and JNUSU. However, the common students except those of MPhil and PhD seems to be mostly indifferent towards it.
Attendance is not compulsory in JNU though some teachers maintain it for their personal references.
The Academic Council (AC) of the University in its meeting held at the beginning of this month had resolved to approve to make “attendance compulsory for all regular registered students”. The JNU Vice-Chancellor (VC) M Jagadesh Kumar has approved the AC resolution regarding attendance for implementation from the winter session 2018.
The JNUSU alleged that the ‘random’ proposal of compulsory attendance which the Vice-Chancellor just raised in a 'passing-by' manner and on which JNUSU instantly opposed in the meeting is being termed as decision of AC.
A circular to the Deans of Schools/ Chairpersons of the Special Centres / Chairpersons of the Centres says that attendance is mandatory for all students registered in all programmes including M.Phil and Ph.D of the university. It also advised all centres and schools to maintain an attendance record of all students.
As usual, the JNUSU has termed the VC decision ‘arbitrary’ and an onslaught on inclusive nature of JNU. “The idea of not having an attendance system was to encourage both teacher and students to evolve methods for effective teaching and participation of students in the class,” said JNUSU in a statement. It also says that JNU being a research university where both professors and students majorly involve themselves in research it's not logical for students of MPhil and PhD to sign attendance register on daily basis.
ABVP’s popular face of JNU Saurabh Sharma said that JNUSU and JNU Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) have failed to inform JNU community about such a ‘regressive & coercive’ change though they knew about it from the very beginning.
“By their own account, they had known about such a move on December 1, why they failed to initiate debate and deliberation with student community on such an important issueIJ” asks Saurabh Sharma of ABVP.
Further saying that at times when, government is emphasizing on making the quality higher education accessible to all and is endeavoring to provide a comprehensive and inclusive education with varied choices through online platforms like “SWAYAM”, such a move by JNU administration reflects its “medieval” mindset.
Hari Ram Mishra , the associate professor at Centre for Sanskrit Studies, said that the time period for which the MPhil and PhD students make field trips or visit library or attend conferences should also counted as present in their attendance. He said that there is no harm in making attendance compulsory for students.