Hyderabad: The BJP on Tuesday urged the Telangana government to act immediately on the demands raised by Vice-Chancellors, warning that the higher education system was heading toward collapse amidst the Telangana universities crisis.
At a press briefing at the BJP state office, party vice president Dr. Kasam Venkateshwarlu criticised the ongoing Assembly winter session. He said it had failed to focus on real issues, including the escalating universities crisis in Telangana. Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellors held a parallel conference where they unanimously raised alarm over the deteriorating state of universities.
BJP cites faculty crisis, calls for immediate reforms
Dr. Venkateshwarlu accused both past and present governments of damaging the sector during the Telangana universities crisis. “The KCR regime weakened it. The Revanth Reddy government is completely destroying it,” he said.
He pointed out that out of 2,816 sanctioned faculty posts in state universities, only 755 are filled. This leaves nearly 75% of teaching positions vacant, aggravating the universities crisis Telangana faces among educational institutions. Likewise, government degree colleges have only 1,255 staff working against a sanctioned 4,098. He further claimed that six universities had no professors at all.
As a result, he warned that research activity had almost collapsed, a significant issue amid the ongoing universities crisis in Telangana. “Without professors, how will research take place? No research means no UGC funds, no publications, and no academic rankings,” he said. He stressed that universities must serve as research hubs, not just teaching institutes.
Moreover, Dr. Venkateshwarlu criticised the government for delaying the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), despite strong support from Vice-Chancellors, as the Telangana universities crisis continues. He also alleged that the Congress had failed to honour its promise of allocating 15% of the budget to education, allocating only 7.6%.
In conclusion, the BJP leader demanded immediate adoption of NEP and resolution of all concerns raised by university heads during the ongoing crisis. He warned that continued neglect would plunge Telangana’s universities into deeper crisis.