Bandi Sanjay flays fee reimbursement delay

metro india news I hyderabad

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Tuesday lashed out at the Congress government in the state. He said the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s style of functioning was akin to the saying, "One who cannot even reach the loft dreams of building a ladder to heaven."

He said that it was laughable for a Chief Minister who is incapable of providing even basic amenities in Telangana's educational institutions to claim that the Centre was obstructing his plans to bring foreign educational institutions to the state and added that It was shameful for the CM to promise higher education opportunities at world-renowned institutions while remaining indifferent to the severe mental anguish faced by lakhs of students due to the non-payment of fee reimbursement arrears.

He said that Thousands of colleges across the state offering Intermediate, Degree, Engineering and Nursing courses were  mired in a deep crisis. “Both the previous BRS government and the current Congress government have caused immense hardship by failing to pay fee reimbursement arrears on time. Arrears amounting to approximately ₹15,000 crore have accumulated over the past five years.

The Private college managements have been left in a state of utter helplessness due to these unpaid dues and they are struggling to pay salaries and allowances to faculty and staff as well as cover maintenance costs and have fallen into a debt trap. Many colleges have already shut down, unable to repay debts due to the non-receipt of fee reimbursement arrears. The situation is dire for approximately 40 lakh students pursuing higher education.

The vast majority of these students belong to Dalit, tribal and other marginalized or weaker sections of society. As the fee reimbursement scheme falters, these students are being deprived of access to higher education. Does the "Indiramma Rajyam" (Indiramma's rule) imply keeping these sections away from higher education? On one hand, the private college managements are adamant about withholding certificates unless fees are paid, the students face severe hardships, unable to apply for jobs or pursue further studies. They are forced into the wretched situation of selling their homes and assets just to pay the fees and secure their certificates.