<p>Escaping lectures has become the norm rather than the exception in higher education. Most students now prefer to skip classes at the slightest pretext. Even strict measures--such as disallowing students from appearing in exams if they fail to meet the minimum attendance requirement--seem to have little effect.</p>.<p>Student absenteeism is no longer limited to low-quality higher education institutions (HEIs). It has spread across all universities and colleges, including the most prestigious. At one of the Institutions of Eminence (IoE), students even appreciated their university for not enforcing attendance, calling it one of its "best practices".</p>.<p>This is not a problem unique to India. Student absenteeism is a global phenomenon, varying only in degree. Even the world's best universities have not remained untouched. If they were, Tom Clay and Lori Breslow of MIT Cambridge would not have felt the need to survey their undergraduate students in 2006 or write a blog post about their findings.</p>.<p>Policy planners and administration tend to blame teachers. They accuse faculty of being lackadaisical, uninspiring, or insufficiently skilled to attract students to lectures and keep them engaged. Their commitment and passion are questioned, and they are also censured for prioritising their convenience over the needs of students. Teachers are blamed for not putting their hearts into their teaching. Critics argue that lecturers pass the time by making presentations or dictating dated notes. Their lectures are rarely thought-provoking. They seldom encourage questioning by students and scarcely engage them in activities that arouse curiosity.</p>.<p>On the other hand, teachers point to students' lack of seriousness. They argue that students today are more interested in obtaining degrees than in gaining knowledge, learning skills, and cultivating the right attitude. Teachers also blame poor infrastructure and weak administrative enforcement of academic discipline.</p>.<p>Teachers also tend to blame it on innovations in pedagogical practices. Institutions now require them to upload lecture notes, presentations and model question papers. In many cases, the recorded lectures are also made available. These make students feel they would not miss much if they skipped their classes.</p>.<p>Experts cite almost everything under the sun as a probable cause of the malady. For a time, the 'idiot box' was blamed for distracting students from the classroom. Today, it is the smartphone and constant Internet access that are considered major disruptors.</p>.<p>Some argue that teachers and students are overburdened with lectures, quizzes, assignments, examinations and a host of other activities throughout the year, leaving them little time to enjoy the journey called knowledge. Implementation of semester and trimester systems has further aggravated the problem.</p>.<p>Mental health concerns are another factor. Students and faculty alike may be dealing with anxiety, depression, or burnout, which makes engaging in classroom dynamics harder. Inconvenient class timings, poor classroom conditions, uncomfortable seating, or hostile environments—like ragging, bullying, or an unwelcoming peer group—can also drive students away.</p>.<p>When asked, students often give vague and evasive answers. They try to be kind to their teachers and students when they admit they should attend classes regularly but cannot do so for reasons beyond their control. Some find class schedules inconvenient, while others say they are just lazy.</p>.<p>Still, a few are straightforward: they say the teaching-learning process is deficient and draining, that universities lack qualified and inspiring teachers, and that their lectures are boring, repetitive, and poor value for time, money and effort. Some even see a disconnect between the world of work and knowledge and conclude that attending classes is pointless.</p>.<p>These students may have a point. But their attitude towards classrooms remains inexplicable. Why, then, do they enrol in full-time regular programmes, especially when many other options are available? Gone are the days when students had no choice but to study in regular mode to earn a degree.</p>.Minimum-age restriction forces at least 5 lakh UKG kids to repeat class.<p>Why don’t they opt instead for distance, open, online, or virtual modes of higher education? Why not accumulate micro or nano credits as they like and deposit them in the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)? India is perhaps the only country offering such flexible, informal pathways to formal, recognised higher education qualifications. EdTech platforms and digital universities promise freedom, flexibility, and convenience.</p>.<p>Why don’t students avail themselves of the concessions that these innovations promise to offer higher education with ease? Why do students continue to seek degrees at all, especially when employers are said to increasingly value skills and aptitude over paper qualifications?</p>.<p>Students enrol in full-time regular mode knowing fully well that it comes at a price and entails expectations of attendance and class participation. It binds students with rigid timetables of lectures and examinations, thus depriving them of their comforts, convenience, and freedom. They believe that such higher education provides them some distinct advantages. Why don’t they then take full advantage of their decision? </p>.<p>Ubiquitously, our understanding of the issue is only limited and is coloured by our own biases. Each of the parties to the educational process may have some truth to their views, but addressing the ever-increasing aversion of students calls for urgent actions leading to engagement strategies, accountability measures, and student support.</p>.<p><em>(The writer, a retired professor of management at Jamia Millia Islamia and former VC of the University of Rajasthan and the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, is presently chief advisor to the Chancellor at Integral University, Lucknow)</em></p>
<p>Escaping lectures has become the norm rather than the exception in higher education. Most students now prefer to skip classes at the slightest pretext. Even strict measures--such as disallowing students from appearing in exams if they fail to meet the minimum attendance requirement--seem to have little effect.</p>.<p>Student absenteeism is no longer limited to low-quality higher education institutions (HEIs). It has spread across all universities and colleges, including the most prestigious. At one of the Institutions of Eminence (IoE), students even appreciated their university for not enforcing attendance, calling it one of its "best practices".</p>.<p>This is not a problem unique to India. Student absenteeism is a global phenomenon, varying only in degree. Even the world's best universities have not remained untouched. If they were, Tom Clay and Lori Breslow of MIT Cambridge would not have felt the need to survey their undergraduate students in 2006 or write a blog post about their findings.</p>.<p>Policy planners and administration tend to blame teachers. They accuse faculty of being lackadaisical, uninspiring, or insufficiently skilled to attract students to lectures and keep them engaged. Their commitment and passion are questioned, and they are also censured for prioritising their convenience over the needs of students. Teachers are blamed for not putting their hearts into their teaching. Critics argue that lecturers pass the time by making presentations or dictating dated notes. Their lectures are rarely thought-provoking. They seldom encourage questioning by students and scarcely engage them in activities that arouse curiosity.</p>.<p>On the other hand, teachers point to students' lack of seriousness. They argue that students today are more interested in obtaining degrees than in gaining knowledge, learning skills, and cultivating the right attitude. Teachers also blame poor infrastructure and weak administrative enforcement of academic discipline.</p>.<p>Teachers also tend to blame it on innovations in pedagogical practices. Institutions now require them to upload lecture notes, presentations and model question papers. In many cases, the recorded lectures are also made available. These make students feel they would not miss much if they skipped their classes.</p>.<p>Experts cite almost everything under the sun as a probable cause of the malady. For a time, the 'idiot box' was blamed for distracting students from the classroom. Today, it is the smartphone and constant Internet access that are considered major disruptors.</p>.<p>Some argue that teachers and students are overburdened with lectures, quizzes, assignments, examinations and a host of other activities throughout the year, leaving them little time to enjoy the journey called knowledge. Implementation of semester and trimester systems has further aggravated the problem.</p>.<p>Mental health concerns are another factor. Students and faculty alike may be dealing with anxiety, depression, or burnout, which makes engaging in classroom dynamics harder. Inconvenient class timings, poor classroom conditions, uncomfortable seating, or hostile environments—like ragging, bullying, or an unwelcoming peer group—can also drive students away.</p>.<p>When asked, students often give vague and evasive answers. They try to be kind to their teachers and students when they admit they should attend classes regularly but cannot do so for reasons beyond their control. Some find class schedules inconvenient, while others say they are just lazy.</p>.<p>Still, a few are straightforward: they say the teaching-learning process is deficient and draining, that universities lack qualified and inspiring teachers, and that their lectures are boring, repetitive, and poor value for time, money and effort. Some even see a disconnect between the world of work and knowledge and conclude that attending classes is pointless.</p>.<p>These students may have a point. But their attitude towards classrooms remains inexplicable. Why, then, do they enrol in full-time regular programmes, especially when many other options are available? Gone are the days when students had no choice but to study in regular mode to earn a degree.</p>.Minimum-age restriction forces at least 5 lakh UKG kids to repeat class.<p>Why don’t they opt instead for distance, open, online, or virtual modes of higher education? Why not accumulate micro or nano credits as they like and deposit them in the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)? India is perhaps the only country offering such flexible, informal pathways to formal, recognised higher education qualifications. EdTech platforms and digital universities promise freedom, flexibility, and convenience.</p>.<p>Why don’t students avail themselves of the concessions that these innovations promise to offer higher education with ease? Why do students continue to seek degrees at all, especially when employers are said to increasingly value skills and aptitude over paper qualifications?</p>.<p>Students enrol in full-time regular mode knowing fully well that it comes at a price and entails expectations of attendance and class participation. It binds students with rigid timetables of lectures and examinations, thus depriving them of their comforts, convenience, and freedom. They believe that such higher education provides them some distinct advantages. Why don’t they then take full advantage of their decision? </p>.<p>Ubiquitously, our understanding of the issue is only limited and is coloured by our own biases. Each of the parties to the educational process may have some truth to their views, but addressing the ever-increasing aversion of students calls for urgent actions leading to engagement strategies, accountability measures, and student support.</p>.<p><em>(The writer, a retired professor of management at Jamia Millia Islamia and former VC of the University of Rajasthan and the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, is presently chief advisor to the Chancellor at Integral University, Lucknow)</em></p>