A new attendance policy, flexibility in the schedule of supplementary exams, and online pre-registrations for each semester are among the major policy changes that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Guwahati has agreed to work on after three student suicides in the year so far, two within a month, left the campus in a turmoil.
Following student protests, the institute has agreed to make changes in policies and allow more “flexibility” in academic procedures. It has also announced several new measures, including strengthening of mental health counseling services as well as increasing the number of counselors available on campus.
The institute will have student body representatives on board while discussing and finalising the changes, a formal process for which will start after the end of the mid-semester examinations on September 22.
Academic changes can be put into effect only through the senate, which is the highest decision-making body of an IIT for all academic matters. The institute will have student representatives on board during this process.
“The institute will be working out a new attendance policy that allows more flexibility in the rules as students having scored well in the papers are often barred from sitting in final exams,” said a student representative at IIT-Guwahati, not wishing to be named.
IIT-Guwahati has a rule mandating 75% attendance across courses, failing which students are ineligible to sit in the final exams. This results in students having to repeat the course in the next semester despite having scored well, thus slowing down their academic progress.
The rule on being allowed to take supplementary examination only at a given time, which is mainly in July, when students are just coming off their summer internships or are yet to complete the internship period, needs to be relaxed and made more flexible, allowing them enough opportunities to do the same, said another student leader on campus.
“Rigorous academic policies need to be reviewed from the point of view of students, allowing them enough breathing space. If a student is doing well or even average in their courses, some-student friendly policies can only help them get better,” the second student leader added.
Another crucial change that will be worked upon is online registration for each semester for both new entrants and continuing students.
Students are required to pre-register in person before they move on to the next semester, failing which, except in case of medical conditions, results in students paying a hefty fine of Rs 6,000.
“This financial burden just for not being able to register within the stipulated deadline adds to stress for many students coming from humble backgrounds. Often, students are not physically available on campus at the given time due to internships or research, and hence, it’s decided to work out an online pre-registration system allowing them to do it from anywhere,” said another student representative, seeking anonymity.
Need to Bridge Student-Faculty Gap
The students’ welfare board on campus is also trying to put in place some measures to bridge the student-faculty gap. “The relationship between students and faculty on a residential campus like an IIT must improve. Faculty members need to be more approachable so that students can reach out to them for help without any fear. It has to be freer and more open,” the student leader added.
News18 has requested a response from the institute on the policy changes and the situation on campus post the student suicides. A reply is awaited.
What Led to the Demands for Changes
On September 9, Bimlesh Kumar, a 21-year-old BTech student pursuing Computer Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room. The student hailed from Uttar Pradesh. This was the third such incident of a student taking the extreme step on campus this year, triggering massive uproar among students who took to protests for three days in a row as well as resulting in the resignation of Dean, Academic Affairs.
However, the institute is yet to take a decision on the dean’s resignation. The protesting students had also demanded other faculty members, including the hostel-management in-charge, resign from their post.
Previously, on August 9, Saumya, a 23-year-old MTech student, also hailing from UP, was found dead in her hostel room. Earlier this year in April, a 20-year-old BTech student was found dead in his hostel room in a suspected case of suicide.
Both Bimlesh and Saumya were reportedly stressed due to academic pressure linked to the stringent attendance policy. Bimlesh’s family has maintained that their son was unwell and had submitted medical certificates for his low attendance.
Recently, IIT-Delhi put in place several academic changes, including lowering the CGPA requirement as well as setting up an Academic Progress Group to help students with extended degrees. IIT-Madras, too, has made several policies flexible and rationalised the number of credits required to pass a course. All these changes came into effect post the student protests in these campuses following multiple incidents of student suicides.
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