Law College students walk out of classes to protest SU leave rules

GANGTOK, 07 Sept: Students of Sikkim Government Law College here at Lower Burtuk boycott classes this morning in protest of the leave rules notified for students by Sikkim University. By afternoon, however, after receiving the assurance of the HRD Department that it would look into the matter seriously and take in all their genuine grievances to the concerned authorities, classes were resumed at around 1 p.m.
The students have been upset since the college authorities posted an SU notification announcing that no attendance will be given to students who missed classes even on medical ground and that no applications in this regard will be entertained unless the student in question was willing to opt for a zero semester.
What this means is that students who fail to meet the SU requirement of a minimum of 75% attendance for each semester, they will have to take a zero semester [an extra six months].
Speaking to media-persons here today, Binod Chettri, one of the protesting students, contended that the students were unanimously against this rule which was put up on their notice board on 30 August.
“We have been informed by the college authorities that this rule has been in place since the year 2007, which makes u wonder why this was posted on the notice board only now,” he said.
The students are displeased that such an important decision on attendance regulations was taken by the University without taking the students into confidence. The students obviously want the rule revoked, but for starters, also want the University to explain and justify this rule.
They also argue that if students are not be allowed relaxations even on medical grounds, then the University should provide medical facilities at the college so that students can receive medical attention at the campus itself so that they did not miss making the minimum attendance requirement.
The students clarified that their protest was not against any teacher or their college, but against the rule notified by Sikkim Uiversity. The students held up placards and banners registering their protest against the rule.
As mentioned, the stand-off was resolved for the day following intervention by the HRDD. A meeting was held between the HRDD Director, TN Kazi, students’ representatives and college authorities which also discussed other grievances placed by students.
After the meeting, Mr Kazi also interacted with the students and assured to take up their matter seriously and urged them to resume their classes.
Speaking to media-persons later, Mr Kazi said that some of the issues raised by the students were genuine and that the department would take up the matter with the University.
He stressed that the priority for the Department was for classes to continue smoothly at the college.