Why is JNU admin lying that scientists, technocrats, academics 'endorsed' compulsory attendance?

Why is there such a fuss over compulsory attendance in JNU?

This when from the beginning of the university's MA/MSc classes in 1972, attendance was not compulsory. At this stage, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Act, 1966, was in operation. The founding vice-chancellor G Parthasarathy, a famous diplomat, the faculty and the students never considered compulsory attendance to be necessary, because 50 per cent of the total 100 marks in an academic year, were for sessional marks, necessary for the post-graduate students to pass.

Sessional work would include term papers, mid-semester tests, “flash” tests in classes which were unexpected, unscheduled question-answer sessions, and so on. In this period, JNU’s academic reputation grew in India and abroad.

Later vice-chancellors such as Dr BD Nagchowdhury, an eminent nuclear scientist in the defence sector, Prof YK Alagh, a prominent economist who later became a minister of state in the then Union government, KR Narayanan, who went on to become the president of India, BB Bhattacharya, also a senior economist, Prof Sudhir Sopory, an eminent scientist, among others did not consider making attendance compulsory.

In this entire period, the National Academic Accreditation Council (NAAC) repeatedly put JNU in the list of the top universities, usually in the top two. In their last scrutiny around a year ago, NAAC awarded the JNU an A++ rating. Since JNUs ratings, quality of teaching, education and research were so high there was no question of changing the well-proven and respected teaching system and curricula. Suddenly, in an Academic Council meeting in 2017, incumbent vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar moved to bring in compulsory attendance, though this issue was not in the meeting agenda.

Not just faculty members but even an external member nominated by the V-C to the Academic Council, professor Madhu Kishwar, publicly stated that attendance was not in the agenda. This vital information has been suppressed by the JNU administration. Even the structure of the V-C's own attendance system got exposed. Originally, the V-C proposed 70 per cent attendance. Later he upped it to 75 per cent, with a further increase to 80 per cent.

As the media noted in a debate on compulsory attendance, generally this level of attendance was for undergraduate students, not for post-graduate students. Even in IIT-Delhi, where Prof M Jagadesh Kumar was a faculty member, there is no compulsory attendance at the post-graduate level. Many universities, including the Delhi University, do not have compulsory attendance at the post-graduation level.

So why this witch-hunt in JNU? The pro-ruling party stance of the V-C and his team is well known. But why bring partisan politics into the academic sector? Why are they are doing this on public money?

For example, the V-C for the past two years has been celebrating Teachers' Day on September 5 without inviting a number of teachers. The V-C's coterie puts up large posters, have refreshments, but no celebration of 90 per cent of the teachers. So even public money for such a function is privatised.

Of course, disinformation is widespread. Recently, a statement was released by the JNU administration claiming to have garnered support (for compulsory attendance) from several eminent scientists and well-known academicians from across the board.

However, three scientists, a technocrat and an academic on Friday (March 9) denied that they had endorsed a statement the JNU administration released condemning the students’ agitation against compulsory attendance, according to a report in The Telegraph.

Indian geneticist MS Swaminathan, known for pioneering the Green Revolution, nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar, former Indian Institute of Science director Goverdhen Mehta, former Delhi Metro managing director E Sreedharan and Indian Institute of Mass Communication director-general KG Suresh said they had not endorsed the university’s statement.

According to the same news report, former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair, who has endorsed the statement, said the document was issued at the instance of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's science front, Vijnana Bharati, of which he is a patron.

Such false misinterpretations are not uncommon in JNU, but amount to public and partisan falsehoods. Academics and administrators have been publicly rebuked and censored for misusing the names of illustrious personages for illicit gain. Will the Ministry of Human Resource Development take any action? Unlikely.

Also read: JNU professor writes an anonymous piece on why compulsory attendance doesn't make sense