St. Stephen’s College on Tuesday withdrew the decision to suspend over 100 undergraduate students and bar them from appearing for the exams for their low attendance in the morning assembly following criticism.
In an email addressed to students and their parents, principal John Varghese clarified that there would be no suspension over attendance in the morning assembly.
“On Saturday, 17th February 2024, an email was sent from my office. It was a miscommunication, incorrectly worded and my sincere apologies for that. I was also not copied on that email, a practice which is normally followed when I instruct my office to communicate, in written mode, on my behalf. Let me therefore set right the matter through this email,” the email by Varghese read.
Three students The Telegraph spoke to earlier said attending the morning assembly was not mandatory under any rule of the college or Delhi University. Yet the college on February 4 sent emails to the students who had low attendance in the assembly in January to set up appointments with the principal. The college wanted their parents to be present at the meeting. The majority of the students did not comply with the directive as they were outside Delhi at the time.
On February 17, the college sent emails to the students who failed to fix appointments with the principal, stating that they had been suspended and could not appear in the next semester’s exams.
“The students who were not in Delhi could not set up appointments. The common knowledge is that attendance in the assembly has no bearing on students’ right to appear for the exams. The actions by the college are arbitrary and one-sided,” said a student.
Another student said the morning assembly was meant for first-year students. All students are expected to attend it from Monday to Thursday. On Friday, the college holds a session for Christian students.
Sanjeev Grewal, a faculty member, had written to Varghese to oppose the college’s decision. “To the best of my knowledge, the shortage of attendance in the morning college assembly is not a ground for debarring students from appearing in the examinations,” he wrote.
Making assembly attendance compulsory may be violative of the fundamental rights of students under Articles 25 and 28(3) of the Constitution, he wrote.