Several colleges in the city are tracking the attendance of students in virtual classes after noticing poor response from them.

Colleges will maintain an attendance record, the principal of a college said. Students have been asked to treat online classes as regular ones, the principal said.

Most colleges have found at the most 15 per cent response from students till now, according to the principals Metro spoke to on Monday.

Students are being reminded about the mandatory 75 per cent attendance to be eligible to take university exams. They have been warned of being marked absent if they don’t attend online classes.

Colleges have started online classes after educational institutions in the state closed down to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

“Most of our departments are using online facilities like Zoom and LMS or learning management software to offer online lessons. Online classes have been going on for quite some time,” Jaydeep Sarangi, the principal of New Alipore College, said. “But only 10-15 per cent of the students have been attending those classes.”

“The response of students to online classes is not satisfactory. Teachers of every department have been asked to maintain a record of students approaching them with queries,” said Asoke Mukhopadhyay, the principal of Seth Anandram Jaipuria College.

There are a few colleges, though, which have seen majority of their students attending online classes. Siuli Sar-kar, the principal of Lady Brabourne College, said the response at her college was “very high”.

Colleges will identify poor students who do not have access to computers and offer them relaxation.