JNTUH R18 students express anxiety after Registrar says subject exemption not possible

A day after the Registrar of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH), Dr M Manzoor Hussain, told EdexLive that students of the Regulation 18 (R18) batch who are due to graduate in 2022 are unlikely to get subject exemptions to help them clear their backlogs and earn their degrees, students claim that they still await final word from the institute on the issue. What has given them a ray of hope on the issue is their meeting with the Governor of Telangana, Tamilisai Soundararajan, where they presented their woes and requested intervention in the matter. 

"The Governor listened to our concerns and told us not to lose hope. She assured us that she will speak with the Vice-Chancellor in three to four working days and will give us a positive update. We are hopeful for a positive response from the university's side. Almost 9,000 students are struggling for subject exemption, and it is crucial for our futures that we are allowed that option," Srinivas Prasad, a student from the R18 batch who was a part of the delegation that met with the Governor.

In a letter to the Governor, the students had said that they were struggling to accept jobs or offers from universities for higher education as they were unable to clear their backlogs. They also claimed that the university was violating the guidelines of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) which states that the minimum credits required to clear a subject should be in the range of 150-160, whereas JNTUH had mandated the minimum credits at 160. JNTUH Registrar Dr Hussain told EdexLive that the minimum credits required before the AICTE curriculum framework was implemented in 2018 was 180 and, at the time, students had the option of subject exemption. 

Since the minimum credits were reduced, the option of subject exemption was also rescinded. "Subject exemptions have led to students leaving out core subjects in the programme. How can you claim to have cleared a certain branch without clearing the core subject in that branch? We are also tasked with the responsibility of ensuring quality education," said the Registrar. These statements from the Registrar have caused chaos in the students' camp, says Shahazan Khan, creator and admin of the Twitter page JNTUH Updates (@examupdt). "After the Governor's assurance, the students were hopeful and were awaiting a final response after the promised meeting between the VC and the Governor. Now, the students just want some sort of confirmation, whether positive or negative from the University's side," says Khan.