Detentions give goosebumps to engg students in Hyderabad

• JNTU-H launched the semester system from the 2016-17 academic year
• The university tightened its grip over affiliated colleges as part of improving standards of engineering education

Hyderabad: Students pursuing first year BTech in various private engineering colleges affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad (JNTU-H) continue to get jittery over detention. 

The university officials are also worried about this disturbing trend that is developing.

It may be mentioned here that the JNTU-H launched the semester system from the 2016-17 academic year. 

Besides, the university had also tightened its grip over the affiliated colleges as part of improving standards in the engineering education in the State.

However, since the start of the semester system, the number of detained candidates pursuing first year had been growing and touched around 15,000 during the academic year of 2018-19.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official from the university said that considering a total intake of 90,000 seats in engineering colleges across the State, the number of detained candidates is around 15,000 pointing a growing disturbing trend.

Students have been blaming the university evaluation system. 

But, this situation is not seen, either in the university colleges or the top 20 engineering colleges. 

Either there are nil detentions, or the number of detained students is nominal," he said. 

This ground reality has come to fore only after the university started taking stringent measures as part of improving the standards. What is needed now is, how to address and resolve this issue at the college level, the sources said.

Another official from the examination department of the university said there may be few errors here and there in the evaluation process. 

But, to allege, the entire evaluation system is faulty is only an apprehension. 

Following the allegations, this time, the students were asked to give an undertaking that they would follow the rules of detention if they fail in the advanced supplementary examinations, he said.

Accordingly, considering the student's demand, the university had given an opportunity to appear in the advanced supplementary examinations for the students to improve their credit scores. 

Yet, 75 per cent of the students who got detained in the first year could not make it and get promoted into the second year, he added.

The situation reflects that some students are not able to cope up with the engineering education. But, once joined in the course, they are generously worried. 

Because they are not eligible for fee reimbursement scheme if detained and they would also not be considered by the companies coming for the campus recruitments. 

Besides, a gap of one year would make it tough for them to get a job in any repeated company after passing their BTech degree.

When contacted, JNTU-H Vice-Chancellor A Venugopal Reddy said that the university had put in place a transparent evaluation system. 

Nearly, 25 per cent of the detained students have been qualified in the advanced supplementary examinations and said that the university will continue its efforts to improve standards in engineering education, he said.