Mandatory attendance may require a reconsideration, says Delhi HC

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has observed that the requirement of mandatory attendance in undergraduate or postgraduate courses may need reconsideration and mulled the formation of an expert panel to relook at the need.

A bench of Justices Pratibha M. Singh and Amit Sharma, hearing a suo moto case registered in the wake of a suicide by a young law student, subjected to harassment on account of low attendance, said that the issue of mandatory attendance is a cause for concern in the younger generation “who perceive the same in a completely different manner than was traditionally thought” and that it “deserves to be addressed at a much higher level rather than restricting it to any specific course, college, university or institution”.

“Regulatory bodies as also some universities have in their statutes/ordinances, historically, prescribed mandatory attendance requirements. In the opinion of this Court, the same may require reconsideration, especially bearing in mind the teaching methods which have substantially changed including post the Covid-19 pandemic. In recent times, it is not unusual for colleges and universities to hold classes virtually, to hold examinations virtually or via online platforms. (E)ducation is no longer restricted to classroom teaching or textbook education and, in fact, has been extended to more practical areas,” it noted.

The mental health of students, which is also affected due to the mandatory attendance norms needs, to be borne in mind while reconsidering attendance requirements, it added.

The high court said that there was an “imminent need” to have reconsideration of norms of attendance in general, whether it ought to be made mandatory at all, what should be the minimum required standards of attendance and should attendance be encouraged rather than penalties being imposed for lack of attendance.

It added that there may be a need for making a distinction between professional and non-professional courses so far as mandatory attendance requirement is concerned and attendance may have to be positively encouraged rather than shortage being penalised by debarring from exams.

“It is not uncommon for youngsters who finish school to also be employed and parallelly pursuing education in order to support themselves and their families. Such situations also need to be borne in mind. Further, attendance requirements may or may not be the same in urban and rural areas where technology may not be fully permeable,” the Delhi HC observed.

It said that teachers and students need to be consulted to consider what should be the standards of attendance and “wider consultation would also be required to be undertaken to have a relook at the need to have mandatory attendance”.

Suggesting the formation of a committee to prepare a report in respect of attendance requirements, the high court issued notice to the AICTE, the NMC, and the Union Ministry of Education and granted liberty to educational institutions and universities to file their affidavits.

The matter will be heard next on September 9.

Earlier, the Delhi HC issued notice to the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, several other educational institutions, and regulatory authorities in the matter.

–IANS

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