180 Colleges Are Not Eligible For Academic Year 2018-19

A decision taken by the JNTUH(Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad) it is the first time to deny colleges affiliation for the academic year 2018-19 if their faculty members have insufficient attendance.297 colleges in the state have applied for affiliation for the 2018-19 academic year, of which about 180 are ineligible for affiliation as their faculty members have been flagged in the biometric attendance system (BAS). 

The university has released a circular which states, “College managements are hereby informed that colleges with faculty members having BAS flags will not be considered for affiliation in the academic year 2018-19 as per the Affiliation Regulations of 2018-19, even if they are selected by the selection committee meeting (SCM).”

Dr N. Yadaiah, the Registrar of JNTUH, said that the BAS would be used to assess faculty members’ attendance records. “The faculty will need to have worked for a sufficient number of days.

Their attendance on inspection days is not enough. If a faculty member does not have enough attendance, he or she will not be included in the college's faculty list. We began this process in 2017 itself, but colleges were exempted from the loss of affiliation as it was the first year of implementation of the BAS. By May 15 we will release the list of colleges that have been granted affiliation for the academic year 2018-19.”

Professor Venugopal Reddy, the Vice-Chancellor of JNTUH, said that colleges had been informed which of their departments were falling short of faculty members, and given an opportunity to recruit new teachers to replace those without regular attendance.

“If teachers are on the payroll, but they don’t attend classes, the college will not be considered for affiliation, unless it is able to recruit enough new teachers. If the teachers improve their attendance, the college may be considered for affiliation next time,” said Mr Reddy.

With 180 colleges at risk of losing affiliation, colleges are demanding an extension of the exemption for another year. Professor Venkata Gaddam Reddy from the Telangana Engineering College Management said, "JNTUH's Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system is fool-proof. 

However, since the BAS is being considered for affiliation purposes for the first time, faculty members and college managements haven't been able to grasp the severity of the consequences of not complying. At present, several faculty members may lose their jobs. BAS-flagged faculty members should be given a chance to continue with their current jobs."