Suggestions on student problems when late to colleges

Students should not be denied entry into colleges when late

by

Dr. S. Rajesham
Principal
PRRM Engineering College
Shabad – 509 217,  RR Dist., A.P.

Untold injustice meted out to students reaching late to colleges

The gates of some colleges are closed after 10 minutes from the start of the first period in the morning on any working day. Thus, students who are late to reach the college are not allowed entry into the college. Managements and Principals are erring by doing so.  Students return to destinations not planned earlier after instant decisions giving much room for such activity as ragging.  It costs a lot to the student. Principals should deal with late comers with compassion and lot of understanding. University directions are desired on this. Students are the real stakeholders. They should not become victims of excesses and they deserve a better deal.

At what cost college gates remain closed during working hours

When a student is not allowed entry into the college being late, he loses his attendance for the remaining periods. Students travel for hours all the way from distant places changing buses and even mode of transport. Traffic jams are not uncommon these days. Several travel standing in buses and hanging on footboards while risking their lives. Seven seaters, these days, are posing danger to the safe travel. Some drivers of these vehicles do not even possess licenses and they drive at dangerous speeds causing accidents. There are students who travel by motor cycles and they rush risking to reach the college in time fearing that they are not allowed entry if late. Several students may not even try reaching college gates when they know that they will be late any way. It may be a rainy day or a cold winter or a hot summer when the student returns back, without being able to attend classes, disappointedly. One has to imagine the extent of preparations the student makes and the mother struggles in early morning before sunrise. There are students who suffer from different kinds of sickness. They may miss a bus to catch and be late to reach. Ironically, when a college run bus gets caught in the traffic or breaks down, students travelling in this bus are allowed entry though late for hours at times. When college gates are closed during college working hours and student is denied entry, it costs a lot to him.  He will explore ways and means of killing time on that day after instant decision.

A student, typically, coming from Toopran/Turukapalli/Jadcherla/Zahirabad, depends on public transport. Unlike from city, frequency of buses is very less from such places. Students also travel by public transport from places like Vanasthalipuram to Colleges in Chevella/Medchal/Bhongir. One can find among those returning disappointedly both boys and girls. Some may be freshers, and much worse immediate seniors. The latter find it as an opportunity for ragging. The freshers will have to face the wrath of seniors.

Students may go to: dabas, movies, playing cards, drinking, playing cricket, swimming, etc.  No wonder, if a student finds these as heavens and colleges the hells. A good student also may end up in a bad company.

Some students may miss the opportunity to get clear aggregate 75 % of attendance and above and end up paying fee for condonation. Yet others may get detained due to their % of attendance being less than 65. All these may not have happened but for the gates remaining closed and the student having been prevented from attending classes just because he was late on some days. These consequences are, thus, irreversible losses meted out to students.

Let us consider a student, for example, was able to reach the college but late for the first period once in a week during any Semester and he was denied entry. With 15 effective instruction weeks (considering 90 instruction days and 6-day week), he will miss 5×15= 75 periods of attendance out of, 6x15x6= 540 periods (the 7th period is normally for sports and library and no attendance is given to this). This means, he will lose 13.9% of attendance in aggregate. All this happens when a student is fit and tuned to be ready to attend classes at the college gate. Whose loss is this? Its not just student’s but societal loss. No faculty member can be on time always. Some managements permit faculty members 3 times in a month when late by one hour to reach colleges without loss of pay. What is this standard to students? Student should not suffer from undue stress and depression. When a student is late once in a week for the first period but allowed to attend from the second period onwards, he would miss only 15 periods.

It is not that a student suffers for want of attendance only but also suffers due to missing the lecture and laboratory classes. He may be allowed to write the University Examinations by collecting condonation fee but his performance would suffer due to his missing the classes. Student may miss narrowly passing the examinations getting Second Class or Fist Class or First Class with Distinction. Yet for other students, it would result in detentions when the aggregate attendance earned falls below 65%.  It is not uncommon to find among them the students who suffered due to: family problems/accidents/ malaria/ jaundice/other ailments.

Some Principals and Managements think that they have a brilliant idea not to allow the students from appearing at the Mid-Examinations/Tests when they have poor attendance.

Is this permissible? A student might get condonation at the end of the semester but he was not allowed to write internal tests. Who will rectify this? There are threats to students through circulars and verbal warnings that they will not be allowed to write the internal tests if their attendance is poor. This is apart from the threats for not clearing tuition fee dues.  Dues will be collected any way sooner or later but the damage done, this way, to a student remains permanently.

When a student hates to go to college

It is reported that some colleges imposed fines on students and collected exorbitant condonation fee ignoring the university specified fee. Managements think that they are the whole and sole and they can make decisions and implement them unmindful of the consequences and with utter disregard to University regulations. Often there will be conflicts between the Principal and the Management since the Principal knows, it is not proper to deny the student from attending the next period onwards when late for the first one. Some Principals toe the line of the managements and please them by not permitting students when late to enter into colleges. Such a principal boasts that he is able to prevent late coming but he doesn’t know, hundreds of his students did not find it wise wasting their time walking up to the college gate and getting denied entry. Where will all these students go otherwise is anybody’s guess. When there is a cluster of colleges in a place there could be havoc ending up with unruly situations since they are on their own.

Student is subject to undue harassment and threats through unfair means. Some College managements employ ex-servicemen as Administrative Officers (AOs). Often an AO is sandwiched between management and the principal due to conflicting orders and invariably AO will obey the former. Life becomes miserable on the premises of the colleges at the expense of proper academic ambience. AOs and faculty are kept busy enforcing: wearing of identity cards, prohibiting the use of cell phones though without cameras, dress codes, prevention of late coming and absenteeism, collecting fines, etc. There are instances of reported physical assault and abuses on students for simple or no fault of them in the name of maintaining the discipline. And for the managements those who do such heinous acts are the bench marks. Thus, the student-teacher relationship becomes strained. Student loses respect to his teacher. Teacher will always end up in scolding/abusing the student. The teaching-learning process becomes unholy. Students do not perform well in these colleges. They tend to lose interest and hate to go to colleges. Several of the freshers are from rural background and Telugu medium schools. They come from poor families without educational background. Students will run away from colleges out of fear.

What could be done with late comers?

All those who happen to reach colleges late are not having the habit of coming late. Students with good track of academic record also happen to be late on some days. Reasons could be justifiable for not being able reach in time. On any day, there could be 5 to 10 percent of students who happen to be late.  Principal could let those coming late  sit in a hall and ask them to make an entry in a register stating the reason for being late and they may be allowed to spend their time in the library until the next period starts. Information given by students can be processed and remedial actions taken without harassing any student. Counselling the students may be done if necessary. Students are energetic. They can perform well when dealt with them properly. Opportunities are lost for interactions with students who are not allowed to enter the colleges. Principals should educate their respective managements on what is proper. Managements do respect such Principals and hold them with high esteem. Intensions may be good but means adopted also must be good.

Managements deserve praise for their endeavors in providing excellent infrastructure, laboratories, human resources and other facilities. They work untiringly. However, they should not make colleges to look like military barracks with dictatorial methods and   fail, like some affluent parents with their blind love who impose all kinds of impractical restrictions on their children, to achieve what they expected. Managements should wake up and avoid situations that would burst out one day or the other. 

University directions desired

According to JNTU regulations, a student is required to earn a minimum aggregate of 75% of attendance in all subjects in a Semester to be eligible to appear at the University End Examinations of that Semester. Attendance is taken in every period by the respective teachers in the subjects they handle on any day. In this regard, the then Registrar, Dr. P. Ram Reddy told in one of the Principals meetings to the effect that, students should not be denied attending classes  when they are late for the first period, for example. A circular from the University directing the Principals and Managements in this regard is desirable. One may also recall what the former Vice-Chancellor Dr. Y Venkatrami Reddy had said, “Don’t treat students as criminals”.

Students are the real stakeholders

Students pursuing in self-financing colleges pay tuition fee much higher than those studying in government/university colleges.  Self-financing institutions run from such tuition fee collected without which, staff salaries cannot be paid, college buildings would not have been constructed, laboratory facilities would not have been created and any other facility would not have been made possible. The chair in which the Principal sits, his table, the pen he signs with, the lavish chambers of the Chairman and the robust college gate are all from the student paid tuition fee. There are parents who mortgaged their agricultural land, sold their houses, begged and borrowed money to pay exorbitant fee for management seats. When such is the case, why is the student given a raw deal?  Students are the real stakeholders. Truth is bitter always!

Conclusion

University regulations must be understood on the attendance requirements. By keeping the college gates closed during working hours, the student is subjected to irrepairable loss and untold social consequences. Academic ambience must be maintained in any college. Principal should educate the management on what is proper. University should direct the Principals and Managements:

Student should find the college as a place of sacred learning and he should be liking to come to the college. His energies and attentions be directed through positive and productive means towards achieving good performance in various aspects that a good college aims at.