NEW DELHI: A recent notice issued by Delhi University’s Hansraj College has become a topic of discussion on social media.
Dated May 3, the notice has sparked a debate over the necessity for parental involvement, as asserted by the college administration, versus the students’ perception of regressing to school-like oversight.
The notice mandates that students with low attendance must call their parents to arrange a meeting with the college faculty.
Hansraj College Principal, Rama Sharma, justified the decision, citing past instances where parents were unaware of their wards’ attendance issues because the students had provided their own email IDs instead of their guardians’.
The college principal emphasized the importance of regular parent-teacher meetings in bridging the gap between parents and the college, particularly due to the online admission process and the need to understand students’ backgrounds to offer necessary assistance.
However, DU students expressed their discontent with the college’s decision. Many outstation students criticised the move, saying that it is impractical, especially for those whose parents live in far-off states. One of the students, Jaideep, posted on X, saying, “Some of us don’t even have a local guardian. How does the university expect us to hold such meetings where we will have to call our parents unnecessarily?” They highlighted the impracticality for thousands of outstation students, who work part-time jobs to sustain their living in the metropolitan area, to bring their parents from distant places. Some students humorously contemplated attending the meeting with their flatmates acting as each other’s guardians.
The notice requires those college students with low attendance to bring their parents to college for a meeting with the faculty. Although the college authorities believe it was necessary to share such crucial information about students with their parents, the students are unhappy with the decision.