Overview
- The National Dental Commission issued a nationwide notice on July 5 directing all dental colleges and universities to ensure postgraduate dental students meet a minimum 80% biometric attendance to sit university or PG examinations.
- The attendance requirement is grounded in Regulation 18(a)(i) of the DCI MDS Course Regulations, 2017, and the NDC framed the July notice as stricter enforcement of rules already set earlier this year.
- The NDC warned that institutions will be held responsible if they permit students with less than 80% biometric attendance to appear in exams, placing legal and administrative accountability on college and university administrators.
- The enforcement push follows a January 19 DCI circular that cited findings from the DCI Grievance Sub-Committee after complaints about low PG attendance in colleges across Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
- Practically, colleges must now verify biometric logs before granting exam permission which could bar students with shortfalls from exams; the notices emphasize institutional checks but do not detail specific penalties for non-compliance.