NEW DELHI: After drawing flak for suspending over 100 students and barring them from sitting in examinations for not attending the morning assembly, the Stephen’s College on Tuesday withdrew the decision clarifying that the email sent to students was “incorrectly worded” and “miscommunicated”.
In an email addressed to students and their parents, college principal John Varghese clarified that there will be no suspension with regard to attendance for the morning assembly. “On 17th February an email was sent from my office. It was a miscommunication, incorrectly worded and my sincere apologies for that,” the email read.
The principal stated that the morning assembly held in the college is an old tradition and not organised as a religious exercise while pointing that small portions from several religious and philosophical texts are read out during the assembly. Varghese also said the email was addressed to parents of students to keep them informed about the performance of their wards.
Earlier in the day, teachers and students urged the principal to withdraw the order. Professor Sanjeev Grewal, head of the department of economics, said in a letter to the principal that it is not a “legitimate ground for suspension from the college.” “In my opinion, students can be debarred from appearing in the examinations only on the grounds explicitly stated in the university rules and regulations…”