The Education Department of Maharashtra Government has issued a circular, asking educational institutions to maintain 75% attendance in Class XI and Class XII. It has also warned the institutions that they would face action if they failed to do so.

It is being observed that, in past some years, suddenly the institutions started witnessing less presence of students in both these classes, said sources. Deputy Director of Education Vaishali Jamdar told ‘The Hitavada’, “We have issued letters to schools and junior colleges, asking them to make 75% attendance mandatory for the students. This is a regular process. Also, our department warns institutions of the consequences.”

Most parents insist the institution authorities to allow their wards to abstain from the classes. Institutions claim that they have to bow down to the pressure of the parents due to the fear of losing a number of students.

A former Deputy Director of Education had taken some harsh steps to stop this nonsense, but he could not succeed.

On the condition of anonymity, he shared some facts with ‘The Hitavada’. “The issuance of circular regarding making attendance mandatory is a routine process. Shockingly, none of the authorities monitor whether the orders are followed or not. In my tenure, I tried to check the facts and I found that, in most institutions, attendance was very low. Taking action against the institutions was not easy because the number of institutions violating norms of minimum attendance was very high. Parents insist schools not to make attendance mandatory as their wards have to take coaching in private institutions. I faced many parents, requesting me not be too harsh about attendance.”

One retired armyman narrated his daughter’s story. When he came home in vacations, he found his daughter’s textbook untouched. She was neither attending schools nor reading textbooks. Shocked by the fact, this retired armyman gave his daughter the required lessons, made her read the textbooks, which, normally is not happening in most homes nowadays. “In most cases, students don’t know teachers of their respective schools or colleges. Schools and colleges are gradually becoming only administrative buildings and it has no option,” expressed a former senior officer of State Board.