Should college students be required to attend classes?

If students can perform acceptably on tests, and complete their class
assignments, I don't think they should be compelled to attend classes.
I'm sure many professors feel differently about this, but it seems to
me that the important thing should be the student's competence in the
matter being studied, even if that student has not gained his or her
competence from the classroom.

When I was an undergraduate, I confess that I had several classes
which I attended only on days when tests were being given.
Fortunately, these were classes where attendance at lectures was not
mandatory.

On the other hand, there are some classes where professors justifiably
believe that the give and take of classroom discussion is part of the
learning process, and that learning involves more than being able to
pass a test.

At the university I attended, in the UK, lectures (several hours per
week) were not compulsory, but tutorials (one hour a week for each
subject, in groups of about 12) were, and if more than 3 per term were
missed an explanation was required.

Owain