JNTU plans to allow students who have not put in the required attendance to appear for the examinations in the next semester provided they attend a further eight weeks of classes.

According to the proposed system, students with inadequate attendance will not be permitted to appear for examinations, but will be asked to attend eight weeks of classes during the next semester. If they attend all these classes, the university will conduct the semester exams for these students along with their next semester examinations. A similar system is currently being implemented in the Vellore Institute of Technology.

JNTU is seriously considering this system as the Vice-Chancellor, Prof D.N.  Reddy, is under severe pressure from various quarters to allow students with low attendance to sit for examinations.

Students are themselves thronging the VC's office, medical certificates in hand, and some are coming in on stretchers and in wheelchairs to prove that they have genuine reasons for not adhering to the minimum attendance requirement of 65 per cent.

At least two students are known to have obtained letters from VIPs recommending that they be allowed to appear for the exams. Some are said to have threatened to commit suicide if the VC does not relent.

"I can't permit students with attendance below 65 per cent to sit for the semester examinations, but parents get ministers and bureaucrats to call me and write to me to let them attend the exam," says Prof Reddy.

At the same time, he says, "We are concerned about students missing out one year of their academics. So the best way is to follow the system of eight weeks of classes. We will discuss this with our team and then implement it."