Over 500 first and second-year students from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTUH) staged a protest on Monday, November 20, against the university’s credit-based detention system.
The credit-based detention system requires the students to score at least 50-60 per cent of the total credit scores in order to be promoted to the next semester. For example, second-year first-semester students are required to score at least 18 out of a total 37 credit points in order to be promoted. Similarly, third-year students require 47 out of 79 total credit points. There minimum credit points can be acquired across multiple subjects, internal exams, practicals, classwork and the like.
Varshith, a second-year BTech student at the university, told EdexLive, “We peacefully protested on Monday asking the administration to remove the unfair credit detention policy for the second and third-year students. JNTUH gave an exemption to our senior batches while we are being asked to repeat a year because of this system. Many students are even facing financial problems and cannot afford to pay for one additional academic year.”
The students added that some of them are being asked to repeat an academic year even if they are one or two credit scores behind the minimum requirement. Moreover, the students added that they were exempted from the minimum credit requirements in the first year due to COVID-19. Now these students are being threatened with detention if they are unable to cover up their credit score requirements.
The protest, on Monday, gained support from the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) — Telangana student wing of the Indian National Congress (INC).
Venkat Balmoor, NSUI State President, said, “Close to 8,000 students in Telangana are being affected due to this credit detention system. We have submitted a representation to the registrar. We were told that since elections are going on in Telangana currently, more clarity would be issued on this matter after December 3. We have requested him to postpone the exams till a decision has been made after December 3. We have urged them to send a circular about the same to all concerned colleges.”
EdexLive was unable to reach out to the university registrar M Manzoor Hussain for information on the matter. The copy will be updated once we receive a response from the administration.
