The issue of poor attendance in government colleges is a widespread and complex problem. It’s not just about students being lazy; it’s a systemic issue where attendance is indeed “taken for granted” from multiple angles.
Here’s a breakdown of why this happens and the factors at play:
Why Attendance is “Taken for Granted”
1. From the Students’ Perspective:
- Lack of Immediate Consequence: In many colleges, the 75% attendance rule is poorly enforced. Students know that even if they fall short, they can often get through via leniency, excuses, or even manipulation of records.
- Quality of Teaching: This is a major factor. If lectures are simply a monotonous reading of outdated notes, students don’t perceive a high opportunity cost in missing them. Their time is better spent in coaching classes, self-study, part-time jobs, or other pursuits.
- Focus on End-of-Semester Exams: The education system is largely examination-centric. Students believe they can cram the syllabus at the end of the semester. The process of learning (which happens in classrooms) is undervalued compared to the outcome (passing the exam).
- External Pressures: The pressure to prepare for competitive exams (UPSC, SSC, GATE, etc.) is immense. Students often prioritize coaching for these exams over their college curriculum, seeing it as a direct ticket to a better career.
2. From the Administration’s Perspective:
- Lack of Incentive to Strictly Enforce: Enforcing strict attendance creates conflict. It leads to parents pleading, students protesting, and extra administrative work. For a system often plagued by inertia, it’s easier to look the other way.
- Focus on Enrollment Over Outcomes: Government metrics are often focused on enrollment numbers and degrees awarded, not on the quality of engagement or learning that happens in between.
- Overburdened and Demotivated Faculty: Faculty often have high student-to-teacher ratios and numerous administrative duties. Chasing attendance for hundreds of students can feel like a futile task. Sometimes, they themselves are demotivated by the system.
3. Systemic and Infrastructural Issues:
- Outdated Curriculum: The curriculum in many government colleges is not updated regularly to keep pace with industry or modern academic needs. This makes classroom learning seem irrelevant.
- Lack of Engaging Pedagogy: The teaching method is often limited to traditional chalk-and-talk lectures. A lack of interactive sessions, seminars, practical projects, or guest lectures fails to attract students.
- Infrastructure: Poor classroom facilities (e.g., no projectors, broken furniture, no air conditioning) can make the physical act of attending class unappealing.
The Vicious Cycle This Creates
The problem perpetuates itself:
Poor Attendance → Disengaged Classroom → Demotivated Professor → Lower Quality Teaching → Even Poorer Attendance
Potential Solutions (Moving Beyond Taking it for Granted)
Fixing this requires a multi-pronged approach that makes attendance valuable again:
Improve the Product (The Lecture Itself)
Enforce Rules with Nuance and Certainty
Shift the Focus to Learning Outcomes
Create a Better Campus Environment
Conclusion:
The poor attendance is a symptom of a deeper malaise. Students skip classes because the cost of attending (boredom, irrelevance) is perceived to be higher than the cost of skipping (minimal, negotiable consequences). The solution isn’t just to force attendance with stricter rules, but to make lectures so valuable that students feel they would be missing out if they didn’t attend. It requires a fundamental shift from a degree-granting factory to a dynamic center of learning.
