This is not an April fool joke but 56 Mithibai college students were debarred from writing their Final Year T.Y. B com exams which began on April 1 after the High Court ruled against their plea for allowing them to sit for exams inspite of shortfall in their attendance. This is unprecedented in the history of Mumbai University and a bit harsh one thought on the students in question because there are many other colleges in the city who were not so strict when it came to attendance rules. Hundreds of students from colleges other than Mithibai did write their papers inspite of their attendance record being poorer than that of the students in question.
However, management of Mithibai College cannot be blamed as they did warn the erring students time and again of the University rules on attendance shortfall but students took it lightly and paid a heavy penalty. The move would act as a stern lesson in coming years to all students irrespective of the college they belong to take attendance seriously. Nobody is debating about the attendance rules which needs to be strict but the only contentious issue being that students from other colleges escaped penalty. I request the Mumbai University and the Bombay High Court to consider the differential rules and thereby set papers for the debarred students in a fortnight time so that they don’t lose a year. From the coming academic year, rules should be equal for all and students and they should be debarred from exams for poor attendance!
S.N. Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
