CU V-C refuses to allow students to appear for exam without adequate attendance

KOLKATA: The students of Bengali department of Calcutta University withdrew their agitation on Thursday evening after Vice-Chancellor Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee met the agitating students and made it clear that the varsity cannot bend the existing rules and regulations regarding attendance.

" I have made it clear to the students that it is not possible for me to change the CSR rules of 1999 in this regard. Those with attendance of more than 55 percent can sit for their semester examinations starting from February 27. The students who have been declared 'dis-collegiate' due to low attendance will have to wait for the next semester," Banerjee said after the meeting.

She also advised them to withdraw their agitation and prepare for their next semester examinations. According to the University rules, students have to secure 65 percent attendance in all subjects. Students having 55-64 percent attendance can sit for the exams but only after paying a fine and submitting proper documents.

During their agitation on Thursday morning, a handful of students who had resorted to hunger strike from late Wednesday night fell ill and a third year had to be rushed to the hospital. It was after this Banerjee went to the Bengali department and held a meeting with the students for nearly an hour.

Around 30 students had gheraoed five Bengali teachers from Tuesday evening to protest against their decision to bar them from appearing for the first and third semester exams starting February 27.

According to sources in the university, it is not for the first time that students have been declared dis-collegiate. In 2015, the dis-collegiate figure was 60 out of 752 students, in 2016 it was 58 out of 750, in 2017 it was 44 out of 745 and this year it has been 57 out of 753.