KARACHI, Jan 24: It is likely that the government would fail to implement its much emphasised rule of 75 per cent mandatory attendance of students at the city colleges this year too, said the sources in the educational circle.

It is learnt that authorities concerned have agreed in principle to show some leniency regarding the enforcement of the attendance rule in colleges as rigidity could cause problems for college principals who are required to certify and give attendance position of every student while recommending their examination forms to the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi.

Like in the past, this year too, since the commencement of first-year classes- different authorities had been issuing statements, stressing strict observance of attendance rules in colleges. According to BIE rules, 75 per cent attendance is a pre-requisite for candidates to appear in the HSC annual examinations.

However, the educational board as well as the Sindh education department has not been able to get the attendance criteria complied with by students or teachers.

The sources said that principals had explained their inability to withhold examination forms in the past for short attendance by blaming it on political, social and other institutional pressures on them for bypassing the rule or do some thing favourable for the defaulting candidates.

On the other hand, students took the plea that teaching at colleges was not upto the mark and that was why they preferred to attend the coaching centres instead of taking classes at colleges religiously.

In many cases teachers of a particular subjects were not available, while other facilities, including laboratories and libraries, also did not encourage many students to attend and visit their respective colleges on all the working days, said many students.

It is believed that if the attendance rule was implemented as claimed by the government then the examination forms of only 20 per cent of the students enrolled with the educational board would be found fit in all respects.

However, the figure could go up provided students were granted condonation by college principals, chariman of the educational board or the provincial education secretary, said the source.

If worked out properly, 80 percent of the students at colleges would be found with a 50-55 per cent attendance during the academic year, said a senior college principal, adding that due to repeated warnings from the authorities concerned, attendance in first-year classes had improved, while in case of the second year (final year of Intermediate education) the situation was remarkably bad.

The condition of 75 per cent attendance, among others, has started haunting the college principals since the time for sending up their students for board’s examinations was nearing, said sources in the colleges adding “in fact they are in a fix on the issue as they have to under go all pressures”.

The sources to this scribe that every body wanted a check on students and eliminate politically-motivated elements which not only caused hindrance in the smooth running of academic programmes at colleges but also wanted to have their say in administrative affairs. “Still it remains to be seen who bells the cat and how”, said a source.

Meanwhile the executive committee of the College Principals’ Association has urge the authorities concerned to have a lenient view.

At a meeting of the principals’ body held with its president, M S K Lodhi, the other day, it was resolved that the attendance rule must be implemented but as the required culture for the purpose was lacking the government should adopt a lenient attitude towards the students, this was stated by secretary of CPA, Prof Anees Zaidi.

On the other hand, in a signed statement 32 college principals resolved that the chairman of the educational board should be asked to take the decision on his own in this regard as the colleges had already been sending to the board their records pertaining to attendance of students.