[ad_1]
New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) in Dhanbad, Jharkhand has announced a ‘compulsory attendance’ policy, allowing students to appear for the examinations despite their presence starting from the academic year 2025-26.
For any of the 23 IITs, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad has stated that its graduates (UG), Postgraduate (PG), and Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) students will not be punished in any form based on the minimum attendance criteria, “which was 75% by the previous academic year, 2024-25.
The notification came after a week in a meeting of 1 September by the IIT Dhanbad Senate, approved a proposal by the office-bearers of the student gymkhana (SG) to remove the mandatory attendance. IIT’s Senate institutions are the highest academic bodies, which have the right to approve educational policies.
IIT Dhanbad Dean (Academic) Mitunjaya Kumar Singh said that the decision to remove the mandatory attendance is to give students “Greater Liberty” to attach their ability outside the classroom in technical and socio-cultural clubs. “Here’s meditation on clubs, as they help students create skills beyond the structured curriculum,” he told HT.
Akshay Jha, the third year of B.Tech student of IIT Dhanbad, said that removing the mandatory appearance has not made “a lot of difference” because she regularly participates in classes out of habit.
IITs follow different attendance rules. IIT Guwahati, Kharagpur, Delhi, and Rruki mandated 75% attendance, while Madras and Palakkad require 85% minimum appearance to be eligible for examinations. IIT Gandhinagar leaves it to the trainers, but students remembering much more early classes are stopped from quiz and mid-seasonal examinations.
Since its establishment in 1964, the Private Engineering Institute Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani has never made appearance for the exam. From 2024–25, however, the institute has linked the 10% course mark with class participation. “This is about encouraging active engagement, not just to mark the appearance,” Vice Chancellor V. Ram Gopal Rao said.
IIT Dhanbad called his Senate meeting for 2025-26 after a month after the visit of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on 31 July and 1 August. The students’ gymkhana Nakshatra Singh Jhol said.
He said that the matter was also discussed with the minister Pradhan during his visit.
Pradhan said in his address at the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 ranking event on 4 September, “Why tension on attendance in higher education? Why students who clean the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) do not need to monitor this way – we should trust them and relax the attendance criteria.”
IIT Dhanbad Dean said, “Although the minimum attendance rule for the exam has been abolished, as a safety to curb misuse, the instructors will still register the presence of the class, and students must meet departmental attendance criteria to remain eligible for stipend and fellowships.”
“The institute will regular review of how students are using their time-for thoughts, innovation, or skill-building-and how it contributes to their overall development. As this improvement has been implemented only, the institute planned to assess its results after a trimster or some semester. To evaluate what is the policy and they have to be associated.
[ad_2]
