MAMC reply sought on student absenteeism

The Delhi High Court has sought an explanation from a reputed medical college of the city for allowing students with barely 30% attendance to appear in final examinations. HT reports.

The Delhi High Court has sought an explanation from a reputed medical college of the city for allowing students with barely 30% attendance to appear in final examinations.

HT Image

"Since it is a matter of concern and also of public interest, this court takes a suo motu cognisance," said a vacation Bench of justices S Muralidhar and Rajiv Sahai Endlaw in an order.

The bench said this while referring to a recent media report on Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) relaxing the requisite students' attendance of 70% for appearing in the final examination.

Issuing a notice to MAMC and also to Delhi government through the health secretary, the bench has sought their responses by July 6.

"In an affidavit to be filed by the next date, the dean of MAMC will explain whether the news item is correct, and in exercise of which power or under what rule relaxation, if any, students with less than minimum attendance were granted to take their final examination," the Bench said.

According to the media report, to take the written exam, a student requires a minimum of 70% classroom attendance. However, the biometric attendance system showed that more than half the class did not have the requisite attendance. It further stated that the college administration had to bow down to student pressure and allow them to appear in the exams, despite poor attendance.

Moreover, to accommodate students, the college administration even removed the biometric attendance system, which it had introduced earlier this year to tame student indiscipline and ensure their presence in classrooms.

In the college, the average attendance for boys was about 20%, while girls were better performers with at least 40% per cent attending lectures. The average student attendance was a mere 30%, the news report stated.