Hyderabad: Former Minister and BRS Legislature Party Deputy Floor Leader Harish Rao demanded the immediate release of fee reimbursement dues, alleging that prolonged delays had pushed private degree and postgraduate colleges in Telangana into financial distress.
Representatives of the Telangana Private Degree and PG Colleges Management Association met Harish Rao on Tuesday. They submitted a memorandum outlining the problems faced by their institutions.
Harish Rao said colleges had struggled for two-and-a-half years because the government had not released fee reimbursement funds on time. Consequently, many institutions were facing severe financial pressure.
Teaching and non-teaching staff had gone months without salaries, according to Harish Rao. College managements were also struggling to meet rent, electricity bills, university fees and other operating expenses.
The number of private degree colleges in Telangana had fallen from around 960 to about 650, he said. If the situation continued, more colleges could face closure.
Private colleges play a major role in providing higher education in small towns, mandals and rural areas, Harish Rao said. Government colleges remain limited in several such locations.
The closure of a college could affect hundreds or thousands of students in that area. He questioned the Congress government’s commitment to a scheme associated with former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
Harish Rao demanded that the government release all pending fee reimbursement dues without further delay.
Fee reimbursement dues put students’ futures at risk
Harish Rao said the completion of 1,000 days of Congress rule had exposed the impact of government decisions on students. He alleged that the damage caused during the period outweighed the benefits delivered to the public.
He questioned the government’s focus on criticising the Opposition while students faced problems on the ground. Delays in fee payments had also created difficulties for students seeking their original certificates, he said.
According to Harish Rao, some colleges were withholding original certificates because of outstanding fee reimbursement payments. As a result, students who had completed their studies were struggling to pursue higher education or seek employment.
“Who will take responsibility if they lose the opportunities within their reach and their future falls into darkness? Why is your government so hostile to the education of poor students? Your government’s negligence has put their future in question,” Harish Rao said.
Immediate relief should be provided to students of Siddipet’s Srikrupa College and thousands of others across Telangana who were struggling to obtain their original certificates, he demanded.
Students who had completed their studies were unable to pursue higher education or seek employment because they did not have their certificates, Harish Rao said. The government should clear the pending fee reimbursement dues to prevent further difficulties for students and colleges.
Harish Rao opposes removal of health scheme data operators
Harish Rao also criticised the removal of data entry operators working under Aarogyasri. He questioned the decision to remove employees who had served the health scheme for 22 years.
These workers had already faced prolonged delays in receiving salaries, he said. Now, they were losing their jobs as well, according to the former Minister.
Harish Rao questioned the decision to remove employees who had served for years despite limited pay and inadequate job security.
The government should protect their livelihoods instead of removing them from service, he said. He suggested adjusting the workers in other government departments or welfare schemes.