Research students stage sit-in, oppose attendance register at ISEC

Research students staged a sit-in at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) at Nagarabhavi here on Thursday, as part of their protest campaign against a new directive that asks them to sign the attendance register every day or face a cut in their fellowship.

A student, who was part of the protest, said that they received a message at 5.30 pm on Wednesday asking them to sign the attendance register from Thursday onwards. “We are required to sign at 10.15 am every day,” he said.

Students argue that since they are away for long stretches of time due to their coursework, it’s difficult for them to sign the register every day. “Our coursework requires fieldwork and being away from the institute. Some students attend seminars and are engaged in other work,” the student said.

“It is no guarantee that those who sign the register are completing their coursework.”
ISEC director Prof M G Chandrakanth countered the students, saying they are opposing efforts to bring discipline. He said that presently there was no proper system of marking attendance at the institute for faculty or students.

Chandrakanth said that the ISEC received funding from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).

Previously, PhD students received fellowship only until the second year. On the ISEC’s request, the ICSSR agreed to fund the students for the third year, too, with a few conditions. One of the conditions set by the ICSSR was maintaining the attendance register. The ISEC received a letter to this effect from the ICSSR last month, he said.
“Students get public money, so why should they not be accountable?” he asked.

Coursework
According to Chandrakanth, students can do their coursework outside the ISEC but keep the institute in the loop.

“There are cases when a student is not at the institute for as long as three or four months. Even IAS officers and students in other institutes have to sign the attedance register. So, why not here?” he asked. In the past, the institute’s efforts to introduce biometric attendance were opposed by students. Another measure required students to give monthly research progress report or face a cut in the fellowship.
DH News Service