Parliament Question: Attendance Policies in Higher Educational Institutions

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2689 ANSWERED ON 09/03/2026 Attendance Policies in Higher Educational Institutions 2689. Adv K. Francis George: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken note of concerns regarding rigid attendance policies in higher educational institutions, if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of existing attendance regulations prescribed by regulatory bodies such as the University Grants Commission; (c) whether any study or consultation has been undertaken by the Government regarding the impact of attendance norms on experiential learning, internships and skill development and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government proposes to introduce flexible academic mechanisms such as hybrid learning, project-based assessment and industry collaboration, if so, the details thereof; and (e) the steps proposed by the Government to align higher education with employability, research exposure and industry-oriented skill development? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR) (a) to (c): University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified the UGC (Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of Undergraduate Degree and Postgraduate Degree) Regulations, 2025 on 26th March, 2025. Clause 8.0 of these Regulations regarding “Attendance Requirement” stipulate “Considering the diverse learning modes and holistic and multidisciplinary learning opportunities suggested by NEP 2020, HEIs shall decide on the minimum attendance requirement of students in different programmes with the approval of their statutory bodies”. (d) & (e): Several initiatives have been undertaken which inter-alia include SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds), notification of UGC (Credit Framework for Online Learning Courses through Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) Regulations, 2021. To improve employability skills of students and developing interest for research, UGC has issued „Guidelines for Internship/Research Internship for Under Graduate Students'. The UGC "Guidelines for Higher Education Institutions to offer Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme" have also been launched.The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has also implemented industry fellowship programme for faculty members to gain industry knowledge. Industry-Oriented Skill Development & Employability programmes of AICTE include “The AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Scheme”, “Project PRACTICE”, “Professors of Practice”, “AI-Powered Learning Tools”. *****