Students paying the cost for poor attendance

Updated on: Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Dozens of students, under Osmania University (OU) as well as Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), are complaining of being forced to pay Rs 5,000-Rs 10,000 for getting pardon for attendance shortage.

Only students who have more than 75% or 80% attendance are allowed to take the exams by colleges. Others are barred from sitting for the tests, unless they can produce a medical certificate and has a logical explanation for the attendance shortage.

Condoning fee fixed by OU is a little over Rs 550, but some students have had to pay upto Rs 5,000. In the case of JNTU, the fee fixed is between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000, depending on the percentage of attendance shortage. But the colleges are charging upto Rs 10,000 for granting reprieve and letting the students sit for the examination. Some students were also charged 'hall ticket fee' (not mandated by both universities) ranging between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000.

"I was down with jaundice last year and had medical certificates to support the claim. But I had to pay Rs 5,000 to condone the attendance shortage," said a final year B Com student of Little Flower Degree College, Uppal, who wished to remain unnamed fearing action from college authorities. "In fact, the college withheld the hall tickets of 30 out of 64 students in my class and charged Rs 5,000 from all of them," he added.

Under graduate examinations of colleges affiliated to Osmania University (OU) started on March 22 and JNTU examinations will begin in May.

Under graduate students in city colleges said they were not given any receipt for the money they paid the college hence, it is illegal. While no receipts were given to several students, some were even asked to contribute towards the college development fund. "Engineering colleges in the city are charging Rs 10,000 per student to condone attendance shortage while JNTU authorities have fixed less than Rs 2,000 for the same. College has not given any receipt for the money taken from us," complained a second year B-Tech student from Holy Mary Institute of Technology and Science.

While some complaints have reached the affiliating varsities regarding these illegal money deals, officials said they will take action once an enquiry is done on the matter.

JNTU authorities said they have already kept a watch on some colleges to prevent such incidents. "We have strict instructions to take action against colleges which charge more than the prescribed fee from students," said N V Ramana Rao, registrar of JNTU-Hyderabad while adding that no specific complaint implicating any particular college has come to him.

As per the rules, college managements have no legal grounds to withhold hall tickets after the OU authorities issued the same. "Once the university issues hall tickets, the colleges cannot withhold the same. If students have acute attendance shortage the university does not issue them hall tickets," said an official from OU examination branch.

But students said that this was an annual affair. "Even our senior batch had to pay up hefty sums towards the campus development fund for getting hall tickets," a student rued.

In some colleges, the stand off between the management and the students is not about paying up. "My college has not accepted a medical certificate to condone the attendance shortage. I'll now lose a year and the thought of the future is troubling me," a student from Loyola Academy, Alwal who had a little less than the mandated 75% of attendance said.

The college managements, however, said they have not exacted any extra charges from students other than what was mandated by affiliating varsities.

Students paying the cost for poor attendance

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