Several Indian universities have implemented a unique initiative of giving a year off to students interested in building startups. This includes leading institutes such as BITS Pilani, IIT Madras, IIT Hyderabad, DIT University, IIT Bombay, and IIT Kharagpur. This program, known as ‘temporary withdrawal’, allows students to take a break from their academic studies and focus on their entrepreneurial aspirations. BITS Pilani has taken this concept a step further with their ‘zero attendance policy’, where students are not required to attend lectures and are evaluated solely based on exams and assessments at the end of the semester. This policy has been in place since 1946 and has resulted in the creation of successful startups like Swiggy, redBus, Groww, bigbasket, SanDisk, Postman, Maser Group, Eruditus, OfBusiness, FalconX, and MPL. This raises the question of whether other Indian universities should adopt a similar policy. While the policy has been successful at BITS Pilani, there is a debate on whether it would work for other institutes. The group vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani, Professor V Ramgopal Rao, has pointed out the achievements of the university’s alumni and compared them to the top three IITs in the country. He believes that the attendance policy has played a significant role in shaping the success of the students. However, he clarifies that ‘zero attendance’ does not mean students do not have to study, as they are constantly preparing for exams and assessments throughout the year. Additionally, the faculty at BITS Pilani is responsible for making classes engaging and attractive to students. While this approach has worked for BITS Pilani, it may not be suitable for every institute.
