Telangana Colleges Bandh: Colleges Across the State Go on Strike!

Sakshi Education: Private degree and postgraduate (PG) colleges across Telangana have decided to go on an indefinite bandh (strike). This decision was made by the association of various college managements due to the state's failure to provide fee reimbursements to poor and middle-class students studying in private institutions. Narasimha Yadav, the Principal Secretary of the Colleges Association, stated that college administrations are facing severe difficulties because the government is not disbursing the promised fee reimbursements.

Colleges Facing Severe Financial Struggles

The management of various colleges expressed that their financial situations have become dire. They are unable to pay building rents due to a lack of funds and have voiced frustrations over the non-release of pending fee reimbursements. As a result of the government's failure to release the fee reimbursement funds, representatives from the Colleges Association submitted a petition to Professor Lakshmi Narayana, Registrar of Osmania University. They declared that the colleges would remain indefinitely closed until the reimbursements are paid.

₹3,000 Crores Pending in Fee Reimbursement

The state government allocates ₹2,500 crores annually for the fee reimbursement scheme, with 40% (₹1,000 crores) designated for students enrolled in non-professional programs. Over the past three academic years, a total of ₹3,000 crores in fee reimbursements have been left pending, according to private college administrators. College administrations have reported that tokens worth ₹800 crores have been issued. However, the unreleased funds have prevented private colleges from paying rents and staff salaries, leading to severe financial hardships. To sustain operations, several colleges have taken loans ranging from ₹1 crore to ₹4 crores, as stated by association members.

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Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's Response

Private degree and PG college administrators are collectively protesting, accusing the state government of delaying the release of pending fee reimbursements. They demand the immediate disbursement of the dues that have been pending for the last three years. In June, approximately 900 college administrators protested at Indira Park. On July 14, 2024, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy commented that the government has pending dues amounting to thousands of crores under the fee reimbursement scheme for private colleges.

One-Time Settlement Proposal

The situation has reached a point where the pending dues need to be settled under a one-time settlement arrangement. The representatives of the college administrations have agreed to submit joint proposals to IT Minister Sreedhar Babu, entrusting him with the responsibility of resolving the issue promptly. Revanth Reddy has assured that starting from the current academic year, no dues will remain pending, and fee payments will be made on time. He emphasized that the Congress government introduced the fee reimbursement scheme with the intention of providing corporate education opportunities to every poor student’s child.

Consequences of Continued College Closures

Lakshmi Narayana, Registrar of Osmania University, warned that if private degree and PG colleges in Telangana continue to remain indefinitely closed, strict actions will be taken. In response to the colleges' threats to remain closed until fee reimbursements are released, he stated that closing colleges would result in significant losses for students and unemployed individuals alike, as it would disrupt degree and PG semester examinations, Group 1, 2, and 3 job postings, and other written examinations.

Published date : 14 Oct 2024 06:49PM