Those who want to derail the functioning of the university in the name of protest against compulsory attendance rule must realise that this university gets huge amount of funding from University Grants Commission (UGC) and it is the taxpayers like rickshawpullers, farmers and ordinary people who are paying for running this university, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Professor M Jagadesh Kumar told The Pioneer in an exclusive interview.

“Anti-compulsory attendance protesters are actually doing “disservice” to the nation by disrespecting this section and by not letting other students focus on academics,” the V-C said.

Professor Kumar said the majority of students are focusing on their academics while only a couple hundred of students who are “tacitly” supported by handful of teachers are “instigating” all others against the rule of compulsory attendance and are spreading misinformation so as to mislead the common students.

“We have to strengthen the hands of the silent majority of those students who are working very hard and because of which laurels are coming to the university,” said the V-C, adding that once their hands are strengthened all the crisis will automatically settle down.

Further, emphasising upon on the need of expanding academic and research activities of the university so that it could be ranked among the few top ranking universities in the world, he said the ongoing protest against the compulsory attendance is “for the sake of protest only” and there is “no logic” behind it.

“Research scholars are free to do their work while sitting in their hostels, sitting in the library or at anywhere on the campus and nobody would ask for any attendance. However, in order to ascertain the presence on the campus s/he has to sign once in the day between 9.30 am and 5.30 pm,” said the V-C.

Research scholars are always free to step out of the campus for research related field work and activities like visiting museums, libraries, other universities, seminars, etc, and they will be marked as present, he said. “They only have to take prior formal permission from their supervisors or head for the same,” he said.

The V-C said issue of compulsory attendance came up in the academic council meeting with regards to the ‘drop-outs’ in the university. JNU administration said it admits about 2,000 students every year in various programmes and data reveals that roughly about 200 students drop-out every year.

“University is meant to train and groom students and not to fail and throw them out,” said the V-C. “That’s a huge number as 10 per cent of the admitted students are generally dropping out of the university. There was a serious discussion in the academic council and the members suggested the mandatory attendance so that the teachers would know which student is falling back academically and who needs any extra academic help,” said V-C.

Subsequently, a committee was formed to work out the modalities on how to implement the compulsory attendance which consisted of professors from different schools, only after which mandatory attendance was notified, he said.

According to the “mandatory attendance” rule if somebody fails to meet the requirement of 75 per cent minimum attendance then there would be adverse consequences: Like restricting him or her from getting transfer to the next semester, or evacuation from the hostel and other adverse consequences, informed an official of the JNU administration.