A Syndicate member at the University of Calicut (CU) has urged the authorities to relax the attendance-punching system for faculty members in the university’s teaching departments.
In a letter to the Registrar, K. Mohammed Haneefa, the Syndicate member, said the nature of academic work was fundamentally different from routine administrative duties. It required a reasonable degree of flexibility in working hours. He pointed out that the responsibilities of teachers extended beyond classroom teaching, and that many of such activities were carried out before or after regular teaching hours, during weekends or outside the campus.
Faculty members also have to spend extended periods in laboratories, libraries, and research centres, while conferences, field studies, and collaborative academic activities often require them to work away from their regular workplace. Attendance, Mr. Haneefa claimed, was only one component of professional accountability and need not be applied to teachers in exactly the same manner as to non-teaching staff.
He said that the attendance arrangement followed by the Cochin University of Science and Technology could be considered at CU as well. The faculty members there are permitted to complete seven hours of attendance at any time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., subject to their scheduled classes, examinations, meetings, and other institutional duties.
Published – August 20, 2026 12:06 am IST
