KARACHI, Feb 15: Colleges and the educational board are in a fix as the provincial government is adamant that no relaxation should be observed in any case while implementing the compulsory 75 per cent attendance by students in the government-run institutions, sources in the education circle said.

The administration at the colleges and the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) Karachi, which were developing a mechanism for ensuring maximum appearance of college students in the forthcoming intermediate examinations while working within the ambit of BIE rules of attendance, are highly perturbed in view of the rigidity in the government’s policy on the issue.

The sources said that the Board and the college principals had anticipated a backfire in case the government did not reconcile on the issue.

“It must take into consideration the ground realities, social and economic conditions of people, government’s shortcomings and its alleged role in the deterioration of educational affairs,” added the source, and referred to the non-congenial environment at the government-run educational institutions.

The Sindh education department had asked all students of the public educational institutions to complete 75 per cent attendance, otherwise their examination forms would not be forwarded to the educational boards and their admissions would also be cancelled.

The sources said that in view of the government’s resolve to ensure a maximum attendance of students, there had been some improvement, but not to the level what the government had desired.

An initial study of the attendance records, received at the BIE from the colleges till November last, showed that attendance of students in most of the colleges, including the so-called prestigious and evening colleges, varied from 5 to 50 per cent.

Finding itself unable to restore the long-forgotten attendance rules, the BIE had hinted to the college principals about leniency in the case of such students who attended 50 per cent of teaching classes till January 31, added the source.

According to another study, there are chances that about 20,000 students, out of about 65,000 admitted to first-year classes in colleges or higher secondary schools this year, would not be able to take their HSC examinations even if the BIE resorted to any ad hoc policy of allowing those candidates who attended 50 per cent of their classes.

It was learnt that the BIE did not accept the examination forms of those first-year students who failed to maintain at least 50 per cent attendance till Jan 31.

On the other hand, the Sindh education department has once again informed all the educational boards in the province and the government-run universities that the issue of 75 per cent attendance was discussed at a cabinet meeting on Feb 6, which decided that no condition regarding the 75 per cent attendance be relaxed.

The cabinet further decided that the universities, boards, and district governments should evolve the monitoring system to get attendance report on day-to-day basis and if any fake report was received, immediate legal action under the E&D Rules, 1973, be taken against the responsible head of the institution.

The authorities have been asked to ensure the implementation of the decision of the government regarding the compulsory attendance by the students for appearing in the examinations.

However, the academic concerns who were considering to find a “way out” within the frame of the Board’s rules, had taken the latest directives as impractical, while taking into consideration the political, social and economic conditions in the city, which could lead to any law and order situation.

Interviews with the authorities at the educational boards and colleges gave to understand that the board could have taken up the issue of attendance, well restricting to its rule, but the latest decision by cabinet had snatched all powers from the academics.

One senior academic suggested that a solution in this regard was possible only when an appellant body was formed in the light of the government’s notification of October 6 on the issue. “In case of appeal in this regard the committee consisting of registrar of university or chairman of the board and district education officer may decide the matter and their decision shall be final” the government’s October notification added.

Sources in the academic circle said that the attendance issue could be taken up on case-to-case basis.

Attendance report should be called by the appellant committee from each college for reviewing the problem in view of the given conditions of the college, its faculty and students and then to fix a certain cut-off percentage regarding attendance for the college under review.