The Hindu : Front Page : No relaxation for shortage in attendance: Minister

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Tuesday, Mar 06, 2007
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No relaxation for shortage in attendance: Minister

Special Correspondent

Opposition flays denial of hall-tickets to over 8000 students

HYDERABAD: The State Government has rejected the demand of the Opposition for issue of hall-tickets to Intermediate students who could not take their ongoing examinations for want of attendance.

The entire Opposition was up in arms against the Government after Higher Education Minister P. Venkateswara Rao made a statement in the Assembly on Monday, refusing to allow candidates to take the exams if they had attendance below 60 per cent.

The Minister said 4,270 students of Inter first year and 4,115 students of the second year were denied hall-tickets for shortage of attendance. After reviewing the situation last week, the Board of Intermediate Education decided that the students could take the advance supplementary exams after attending summer coaching classes. The other option before them was to pay Rs. 500 as fine and straightaway appear for the exams as private students.

However, the Opposition demanded that the students be allowed to appear for the examinations without any conditions. The Minister rejected it saying the educational standards would come down if the students were to appear for the exams without attending classes. At the end of the day, the opposition parties announced that they would raise the issue in the Assembly again on Tuesday.

The Majlis Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (MIM) had issued a notice of adjournment motion to discuss the plight of the students but Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy disallowed it. All other parties supported the MIM as the proceedings came to a grinding halt. The impasse was broken with the Government coming forward to make a statement.

MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi argued that SC, ST, BC and minority students in Government colleges would lose their scholarship if they appeared for the exams as private candidates by paying the fine. The scholarships were being disbursed only now.

On the other hand, their certificates would show them as compartmental pass if they got through supplementary exams.

Nomula Narasimhaiah (CPI-M) and Eatala Rajender (TRS) felt it was atrocious that hall-tickets were denied. D. Narendra Kumar (TDP) said corporate colleges were manipulating the records to see that their students were not denied hall-tickets.

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