Wilson College debars some from taking exam over attendance issue, relents later

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The prestigious Wilson College at Girgaon Chowpatty on Thursday witnessed tumultuous scenes as scores of students, debarred from exams due to poor attendance, protested against what they called an unfair and arbitrary decision. Following the intervention of various political outfits, the college management decided to allow the defaulting students this time but will make them sign an undertaking from the next academic year.

The exam is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 20.

In a letter to the college administration, the students have said if any of the students "commit suicide or takes any state (sic) which is against public policy and human nature", the college would be solely responsible.

One of the protesting students claimed that a few hundred students had been debarred from exams and are set to lose one semester. "As the management was not keen on listening to any of our of our pleas, we had to approach the student wing of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)," the student said.

A second-year BCom student alleged, "The college is now autonomous, and following conversion, it has begun enforcing a new attendance policy that is at odds with the interests, welfare and benefits of the students. The standard was raised from 50 per cent attendance to 75 per cent. Such policies were created without considering the consequences, which negatively impact students' ability to remain in college. A college implements a new, harmful policy during the academic year, which adversely impacts students who have completed the first half of the year with flying colours."

Nearly 300 students from the second year of all streams were debarred.

Santosh Gangurde, student activist and state chief organiser of Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena, said, "On Thursday evening, we represented the protesting students. We met the principal and requested her and the college management to consider the students' pleas. Following the meeting, the management revoked their decision to debar them and agreed to let the students appear for the exam on Monday."

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Advocate Cyril Dara, church activist and secretary, Christian Reform United People Association (CRUPA), who intervened in the matter, said, "Wilson College belongs to the Church of North India (CNI) of which I am also a member. Unfortunately, for some time now, Wilson College has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, which is very saddening and unfortunate. There have been serious allegations earlier against the college management over the Wilson College Gymkhana being misused and being run for commercial exploitation, the hiring of Wilson College premises for film shooting purposes, the installation of mobile towers on the college premises, etc. The main problems lie with the management. Time and again, there have been complaints by students and sometimes even by working staff, so the management has to be revamped properly."

Dara added, "The debarring of students from exams is incorrect, though of late they have become autonomous still they are governed by certain rules and regulations. The students should have been informed periodically regarding the attendance percentage required, not at the eleventh hour, when they were preparing for their exams. The list of under attendance should have been displayed and disclosed so the students take their attendance seriously."

Professor Anna Pratima Nikalje, principal of Wilson College, said, "The decision to debar the students was for the benefit of and very much in the interest of the students. These students are the first batch after the pandemic and lockdown. They do not seem to be interested in attending college. We observed that they come to college but hardly attend lectures. However, following back-to-back requests from student wings of political outfits and students themselves we decided to give them a chance and let them appear for the exam. However, this is actually a last chance. From the next academic year, which is in June, we will make students sign the university attendance ordinance and take an undertaking from them."