Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court faulted the technical education department, JNTU-Hyderabad and autonomous colleges for detaining BTech students on the grounds of shortage of attendance, even in the case of a medical emergency.Justice Kaja Sarath observed that the academic regulations for technical education provided for no detention if a student failed to secure the minimum marks. If a student attended classes, but failed in some or all subjects, he/she would still be automatically promoted to the next semester. But, the regulations do not even consider the severity in cases requiring medical treatment before calculating the compulsory attendance percentage to promote a student or allowing the students for the final examinations, the judge said. Justice Sarath observed: “If the technical education department, universities and others want to improve the quality of education, they have to consider not only attendance of the students but also merit.” The judge was dealing with a petition filed by Kondaparthi Manvitha, a BTech third year student in a private autonomous college affiliated to JNTU. Due to the two surgeries related to the liver and admission to the hospital, she could not attend the second semester of the third year, and her attendance percentage at college was 49.33, instead of 65 to 75 per cent as per the norm. In spite of submitting medical reports, surgery reports and doctor`s advice for rest, the autonomous college did not allow her to take the semester exams and also entry to the fourth year by issuing a circular detaining her. Aggrieved with, she has approached the High Court. T. Srikanth Reddy and Rammohan S., representing the student, submitted that the petitioner was a merit student without backlogs and without any shortage of attendance all thorough except during the period of her illness. They informed the court that the petitioner secured a certificate of merit on web development using codeless tools. Due to the detainment on the ground of shortage of attendance, a merit student was losing the academic year, counsel said. Counsel for JNTUH, the state government and others submitted that academic regulations do not allow condonation of attendance on any ground. No classification was provided under the regulations based on severity of the medical condition. The academic regulations were in consonance from regulations of JNTUH and University Grants Commission guidelines, they said. Considering the case, Justice Sarath directed the college to allow the petitioner for the fourth year and release her third year marks. GFx Telangana High Court weighs in on the question of merit and attendance · JNTUH detained a merit student without backlogs and without shortage of attendance for two years, except during a period of her illness in her third year. · The student had secured a certificate of merit on web development using codeless tools. · She was detained on the ground of shortage of attendance. · Justice Kaja Sarath of the Telangana High Court notes that regulations provide for no detention if a student fails to secure minimum marks. · If a student attended classes, but failed in some or all subjects, he/she would still be promoted to the next semester, judge notes · Regulations do not even consider the severity in cases requiring medical treatment before calculating the compulsory attendance percentage to promote a student. Quote “If the technical education department, universities and others want to improve the quality of education, they have to consider not only attendance of the students but also merit.” — Justice Kaja Sarath Telangana High Court judge
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