Jadavpur University tightens attendance screw, walks opposite IIT direction, ETEducation
Kolkata: Jadavpur University’s engineering faculty council on Tuesday tightened the attendance policy. Five marks have been allotted to attendance in theory papers under the new exam rule, which will be applicable to the current BTech first-year students.
Recently, IIT Kharagpur discontinued the practice of de-registering or barring students from exams due to “poor” or “inadequate attendance” to ensure their mental well-being. The aim is for students to attend classes not just to avoid penalties but for their personal and professional growth.
“It was decided that five marks will be allotted for attendance in theory papers. The internal assessment and attendance marks will add up to 30. The new exam rule will be applicable for the current first-year engineering students in accordance with the new syllabus. The senior students will follow the previous exam rule,” said a teacher.
The engineering faculty council circulated a draft exam rule recommending the allotment of 10 marks for attendance and invited feedback from teachers and students. The Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students’ Union opposed it and demanded the continuation of the existing attendance policy.
Under the earlier exam rule, there was no mark allotted to attendance. For each exam paper, students wrote two class tests of 30 marks each, and the average of those two tests was considered as internal assessment marks. Although 60% cumulative attendance was always required to appear for semester exams, it was not strictly enforced.
Teachers shared that out of 65 students in a class, hardly 20 or 25 attended theory classes. However, students attended sessional classes (labs and practicals) regularly because they were marked on their quality of work and attendance.
TOI had earlier reported that an internal survey found more than 40% of students in nine out of 16 engineering streams at JU failed in some paper or the other. A majority of professors felt “poor attendance in classes” and “lack of institutional monitoring of class attendance” were affecting students’ performance and leading to high rates of failure. Most faculty members also suggested allocating marks for attendance so that students attend theory classes, and implementing continuous class tests to improve performance.
A professor said, “The apathy of students towards theory classes has led to their inability to cope with the curriculum, loss of interest, and high rate of failure. The decision to award marks on attendance for theory classes has been taken so we can bring them back, which will help them in future.” Some teachers also pointed out that during the visit of the National Board of Accreditation a few years ago, they flagged the problem of poor attendance and suggested JU take measures.
A campus insider shared that the proposed marks distribution would be five marks for attendance of 80% and above, four marks for 70%-79% attendance, three marks for 60%-69% attendance, two marks for 50%-59% attendance, and one mark for 30%-49% attendance. Anyone with attendance below 30% will get zero.
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