'Won't accept requests to condone attendance shortage'

The central board of secondary education (CBSE) has asked its schools to ensure that applications of all those students whose shortage of mandatory 75% attendance required to be condoned on special grounds reaches to it by January 7, making it clear to them that it will not accept any such request after the deadline.

The board had issued a circular along with a standard operating system (SOP) for its schools in July last year, directing them to start calculating the attendance of the students to be appearing in class X and XII board examinations, from January 1, 2020, and send all the details to it by January 7.

For those students requiring the board's approval for condoning of a shortage of attendance, the CBSE had asked the schools to collect applications from their parents along with the relevant documents required to substantiate the reasons for their absence from the class and send the same to it by January 7.

“All schools are requested to again read and understand the said circular and bring in the information to the notice of the Class X and Class XII students, and comply with the SOP in toto,” the CBSE stated in the latest advisory to all schools.

“Accordingly, the schools are requested that documents as per requirement be obtained from the students and provided to the concerned regional office for taking decisions by the competent authority. Request sent in contravention of the standard operating system (issued in July last year) will not be considered.”

The board examination of class X and XII students of the CBSE schools are set to start from February 15

The board's examination by-laws require students to have a minimum of 75% attendance in class to become eligible to appear for the board examinations of class X and XII both.

In case of those students who do not have 75% attendance due to unavoidable circumstances including death in the family, prolonged disease, participation in sports, there is a provision in the by-laws for condoning of the shortage of attendance by the board provided they have a valid document to substantiate their claim.

The CBSE had last year noted that many of the schools were not properly sending details of such students. The board had observed that they were not submitting the relevant documents and certificates issued by the competent authorities while seeking exception in attendance on special grounds.

To enforce the attendance rules and dissuade students from skipping their classes, the board had issued the circular on July 18, 2019, to all of its schools in this regard.