With little more than three months left for the second PUC examinations, the Department of Pre-University Education (PUE) is advising parents to visit colleges and check their children’s attendance record.
Every year, children who are short of attendance approach officials for leniency, sometimes with their parents in tow.
Earlier in March, there were cases of some private colleges harassing students by collecting heavy fines to waive off attendance shortages and issue hall tickets. This year, however, the Department is determined not to allow such incidents.
According to officials, the Department has taken measures whereby the information of candidates will be collected even before generating the hall tickets.
This would ensure that hall tickets will not be generated for those students who fall short of the minimum attendance.
As per a Supreme Court direction, students must have 75 per cent of attendance to appear for examinations. There are 130 working days in the Department’s calendar.
“This year, we have directed all principals to monitor attendance in three phases. The first phase runs till September while the second runs till commencement of mid-term exams. The third phase starts in early December. We have also directed them to send a report to parents,” an officer said.
“Many parents don’t know the attendance status of their children. It would be better if they meet college principals to get information. Even if there is shortage of attendance, it can be rectified in the remaining months,” Narasimha Nayak, joint director of Examinations, told Express.
According to officials, a student who is facing shortage of attendance can make up for it by attending classes regularly till the end of February 2014.
“Till the end of February, we will consider it as the academic year as the examination hall ticket will be issued only after March 5,” Nayak said.
Though there are many measures started by the Department to inform parents, many may not know their children’s attendance status. “If they don’t take it seriously now, the department will not be responsible and the hall ticket will not be issued in such cases,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department is asking all colleges to send it students’ details by the end of December.