1,000 Telangana Colleges Shut Over Pending Fee Reimbursement

Hyderabad: Several private degree and postgraduate colleges in the state were shut on Tuesday, demanding the state government to clear Rs 4,000 crore in pending fee reimbursements. The bandh, called by the Telangana Private College Managements Association, was successful as nearly 1,000 colleges across the state remained closed.

Students who arrived at colleges were compelled to return home after learning about the strike. Many expressed solidarity with the protest, acknowledging the financial struggles faced by the institutions. The normally bustling college campuses wore a deserted look as the management, for the first time, participated in a collective bandh.

Later in the day, college management held discussions with R. Krishnaiah, national president of the BC Welfare Association, urging him to intensify pressure on the state government for immediate disbursement of the dues.

Krishnaiah appealed to the college management to reconsider their decision to continue the strike, stressing that prolonged closure would affect students' education. He assured them of the association’s full support and requested the government to engage in talks to resolve the crisis swiftly.

Krishnaiah warned the government that the association would launch further protests if the reimbursements were not released promptly. He highlighted that students are suffering due to withheld certificates, preventing them from pursuing higher education, securing jobs, or applying for foreign studies.

The college representatives revealed that the non-payment of fee reimbursements over the last three years has left institutions in dire financial straits. Salaries remain unpaid, and utility bills are overdue, while landlords have begun demanding that campuses be vacated due to unpaid rent. Despite incurring debts to keep operations running, the management stated they could no longer sustain the situation without government intervention.

They appealed to the government to prioritise and release the pending funds in two instalments, warning that failure to act could jeopardise both the future of students and the survival of educational institutions in Telangana.