Bihar state universities to enforce 75% attendance rule for exam eligibility

75% attendance rule: State universities in Bihar have been instructed to impose a 75% minimum attendance requirement for students who wish to sit for exams. All vice-chancellors (VCs) have been notified of this directive by the office of Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who also functions as chancellor of the state universities.

Robert L. Chongthu, the governor’s principal secretary, stated in a letter dated August 23, addressed to all vice chancellors, “Students with less than 75% attendance will not be permitted to sit for university examinations. The examination forms of students whose attendance is less than seventy-five percent shall not be acknowledged. Students with less than 75% attendance will be permitted to sit for university examinations only in exceptional circumstances (those with genuine reasons) and following a thorough review.

The letter also expressed concern that some colleges were permitting students with attendance rates below 75% to qualify for university exams. The chancellor’s office, represented by the governor, expressed displeasure with this practise and directed that an order be issued to ensure stringent adherence to the mandatory 75 percent attendance rule before university students are permitted to take exams.

Bihar School Holidays 2023: Bihar govt reduces school holidays from 23 to 11; check reactions here

Bihar state universities to enforce 75% attendance rule for exam eligibility

The Raj Bhavan issued this directive following a meeting between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Governor Rajendra Vishisht Arlekar. The meeting occurred in the midst of ongoing disagreements between the state education department and the chancellor’s office regarding the appointment of vice-chancellors at various universities.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Raj Bhavan noted that the chief minister and the governor discussed potential solutions to problems pertaining to universities and higher education in the state.

Intriguingly, the chief minister’s meeting with the governor immediately followed the state education department’s call for applications for vice-chancellor positions at various universities. This invitation was issued less than a week before the Raj Bhavan-advertised application submission deadline.

Several universities, including Patna University, Lalit Narayan Mithila University in Darbhanga, Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University in Muzaffarpur, Jai Prakash University in Chapra, BN Mandal University in Madhepura, and Aryabhatta Knowledge University in Patna, solicited vice-chancellor applications.

On Tuesday, the education department extended application invitations to five of these universities; however, BN Mandal University and Aryabhatta Knowledge University were exceptions. With the exception of the application deadline, the terms and conditions for the positions were largely consistent between the two advertisements.