In a resolute move, state universities in Bihar have been directed to enforce a stringent attendance requirement of 75% for students aspiring to partake in university examinations. This momentous directive, emanating from the office of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who concurrently serves as the chancellor of state universities, marks a pivotal development in the realm of higher education.
Dated August 23, a missive addressed to all vice-chancellors (VCs) by Robert L Chongthu, the principal secretary to the governor, outlines this uncompromising stance. The decree unequivocally asserts that students failing to meet the prescribed attendance threshold of 75% shall be categorically precluded from participating in university examinations. A stringent stance is further elucidated as the document emphasizes that examination forms of students falling short of the attendance requirement shall be categorically rejected. An exception to this rigidity may be extended in cases of compelling justifications, wherein students with attendance below the stipulated percentage may be permitted to partake in university examinations, contingent upon rigorous scrutiny.
This directive emanates from a grave concern – the purported laxity exhibited by certain colleges in granting students with attendance below the prescribed threshold access to university examinations. The chancellor’s office, represented by the governor, has voiced palpable discontentment with this lax approach and has thus taken this momentous stride to ensure unwavering adherence to the stipulated 75% attendance rule, an imperative precursor to students’ eligibility for university examinations.
The genesis of this directive lies in a meeting that transpired between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. This meeting occurred amid persisting discord between the state education department and the chancellor’s office, stemming from contentious matters surrounding the appointment of vice-chancellors across various universities.
A statement released by Raj Bhavan following this pivotal meeting underscored the paramount nature of these deliberations, wherein both the chief minister and the governor deliberated over pragmatic solutions to issues confronting the realm of higher education in Bihar.
Notably, this consequential meeting unfolded subsequent to the state education department’s issuance of invitations for applications for the esteemed position of vice-chancellors in multiple universities. It is of note that this solicitation for applications occurred within a mere week of the application submission deadline, as stipulated by Raj Bhavan.
These applications beckoned aspiring candidates for several universities, including illustrious institutions such as Patna University, Lalit Narayan Mithila University in Darbhanga, Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University in Muzaffarpur, Jai Prakash University in Chapra, BN Mandal University in Madhepura, and Aryabhatta Knowledge University in Patna. Notably, the education department extended invitations to apply for positions at five of these universities, with BN Mandal University and Aryabhatta Knowledge University being the exceptions. Although the core terms and conditions remained largely consistent across both advertisements, variations were discernible solely in the final date for the submission of applications.
