Eflu makes an exception for depressed student

HYDERABAD: After the attempted suicide of a student of BA in German language at the English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu), the university authorities have decided to not only bear his medical expenses but also let him appear for a supplementary examination later this month.The student in question, Kush, had attempted suicide on Monday after he was refused permission to appear for the final semester examinations this month along with the regular students. He was admitted to the ICU at the Kamineni hospital and is likely to be discharged Thursday.A student of 2008-2011 batch, Kush was able to clear only one backlog out of two in a supplementary examination held in November last. Kush was not granted permission to appear for the remaining subject in the semester-end examination this month due to the change in syllabus and was asked to appear for a supplementary examination in August which possibly led to depression and his attempted suicide.“We cannot allow him to write the examination with the regular students as the syllabus has changed and he would fail again if he took the examination. He will be allowed to write a supplementary examination by the end of April after the final semester examinations are completed for regular students. He is an ex-student of the university but will be allowed to live on the campus till he finishes the examination,” said Vijayalakshmi Prakash, assistant registrar (accounts) of Eflu. She further added that the student was not a dalit but from the OBC community and there was no case of caste-based discrimination. The university will reimburse the medical expenses of Kush, said the assistant registrar.Students on the campus, though, have alleged caste discrimination by the faculty and head of the School of Germanic Studies and rigorous discipline in place as a possible cause of depression. “The department members threaten students to such an extent that the students neither protest nor do they seek the help of various student associations to question their autocratic behavior,” claimed Subhash Kumar, a member of the Democratic Students’ Front (DSF), one of the student organizations, on campus.