Telangana’s tough rule: 75% or nothing

The Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE), in coordination with state universities, has decided to strictly enforce a minimum 75 percent attendance requirement for students across all higher education institutions starting this academic year. The decision was taken at a meeting with Vice Chancellors held on Friday.

Prof. V Balakista Reddy, Chairman of TGCHE, said that while the 75 percent attendance norm was already in place, it will now be implemented more stringently to improve academic standards. The move is in line with directions from the High Court as well as existing guidelines from the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Universities will adopt a facial recognition–based attendance system, with data directly linked to eligibility for examinations and fee reimbursement. Students who fail to maintain the required attendance will be disqualified from availing state fee reimbursement and barred from appearing in semester exams.

The meeting also resolved to introduce a 0.5 percent sports quota in postgraduate admissions through the Common Post Graduate Entrance Test (CPGET). In addition, a new Communicative English course will be launched for undergraduate students in BA, BCom, and BSc programmes. The course will span four semesters, beginning in the first year and continuing until the second year, but will not be offered in the final year. Audio-visual material has already been prepared to support its implementation.

Another agenda discussed was the revision of Government Order 21 (GO-21), which currently allots 10 marks to PhD holders in the recruitment of assistant professors. Universities have proposed aligning with UGC norms, which recommend awarding 30 marks for PhD candidates.

TGCHE officials stressed that students will be made aware of the 75 percent attendance requirement at the beginning of the academic year, with regular reminders issued to ensure compliance.