Hold convocation on a fixed date: AIIMS students

Resident doctors, PhD scholars and students of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here have urged the administration to fix a definite day for holding the convocation every year.

According to them, this will enable the awardees to pre-book their travel tickets and take leaves in advance as most of them come from distant parts of the country or the world and it would save them the physical, mental and financial inconveniences caused due to uncertainty of the convocation date.

"We firmly believe that convocation is an important juncture representing the journey of hard work by students, residents and PhD scholars," they said in a letter to the Director, AIIMS.

"Convocation of a premier institute must be held on a fixed date as convocation day every year in a fashion similar to the observance of institute day and research day on scheduled dates every year," the letter said.

This step will enable students, residents and PhD scholars to pre-plan their travel and leaves' schedule as most awardees are from distant parts of the country or globe and it would prevent the physical, mental and financial inconveniences caused due to uncertainty of the convocation date.

The bodies including the Students' Union and the Resident Doctors' Association further outlined that availability of the chief guest should not be the sole reason for uncertainty of the convocation date.

"Every year a sizable number of awardee students, resident and PhD scholars face lots of inconvenience due to this reason. They keep on asking academic section staff about convocation date. Academic section staff expresses their helplessness due to non-availability of confirmation from the chief guest," they said in the letter.

"We also request your good office to kindly also consider the other academic stalwarts as a chief guest alongside concerned ministries," the letter stated.