Date:16/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/16/stories/2008051654460600.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bring back students with low attendance to mainstream: HC

Staff Reporter

‘When we speak of reforms in every sphere, college students cannot be kept out of reforms’

BANGALORE: Taking judicial note of attendance shortage of college students in the State, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday suggested several measures to tackle the problem and ensure that students having attendance shortage must be brought back into the mainstream instead of being allowed to waste a year.

Justice Ashok B. Hinchigeri passed the landmark order on petitions by several students of Pre-University (PU) courses challenging the refusal by the Education Department and the college in which they studied, to issue hall tickets to them to appear for the second year PU examination.

Manjunatha and several other students had petitioned the court after they were refused permission to appear for the examination held on March 17. The court had, during early hearings, passed an interim order permitting the students to appear for the examination. It had reserved judgment on the case.

Pronouncing the verdict, Justice Hinchigeri made it clear that he was not quashing the 2006 rules framed by the Government, making it mandatory for the students to have 75 per cent attendance if they are to appear for the examination.

He, however, allowed petitions by students with 60 per cent attendance to appear for the examination and directed the authorities to announce the results. Such students were allowed to appear for the PU supplementary examination (to be held in June), if they had failed in the main examination (held in March). He said students with less than 60 per cent attendance would not get the benefit of this order.

Sounding a note of caution to the State, colleges and to parents, Justice Hinchigeri said “students cannot be left to their fate, whatever be the reason for not attending classes. If they are to lose an academic year for failing to attend classes, they may end up as anti-social elements ”. He said such aberrations of adolescence should be corrected. “When we speak of reforms in every sphere, college-going students cannot be kept out of the reforms.” Outlining a series of measures to tackle the problem, Justice Hinchigeri suggested to the Government to hold special classes after the completion of the academic term and before the commencement of the supplementary examination.

He said the Government need not hold special classes in every college. Centralised special classes could be held in one or two colleges in Bangalore and in one college in a district.

The Government, he suggested, could consider levy of fee on students attending special classes.

The fee for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes could be reduced.

If the students made good the shortage of attendance by attending special classes they must be allowed to appear for the supplementary examination.

He also suggested to the colleges to examine why a student has not been attending class. If such a student has suffered injury or illness or bereavement in the family, he should not lose attendance.