Telangana Government to Strengthen Minority Institutions: Shabbir Ali
Hyderabad: Government adviser Mohammed Ali Shabbir said on Tuesday that the Congress government would strengthen minority institutions and said the previous BRS government had undermined them. He highlighted that the Congress government has increased 120 seats in minority colleges without imposing any conditions, which was unprecedented.
He was speaking at an event organised by the management of minority institutions here to thank Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Shabbir Ali for their efforts in safeguarding the rights of minority educational institutions. These efforts included exempting minority institutions from the Degree Online Services, Telangana (DOST) process for admission into degree colleges and approving an increase in the intake of students at minority professional colleges.
Shabbir Ali also pledged to raise the issue of scholarships for students admitted without following the DOST process with the Chief Minister. He stressed that all eligible poor students have a constitutional right to scholarships, which should not be denied simply because of differences in administrative procedures.
Regarding pending fee reimbursement dues, he said the issue would be addressed following the completion of the crop loan waiver process; nearly 75 per cent of the dues were expected to be cleared by the first week of September.
Shabbir Ali criticised the previous BRS regime for targeting minority institutions. He pointed out that during the BRS' tenure from 2014 to 2023, more than 850 junior colleges, 350-degree colleges, 150 PG colleges and hundreds of engineering, pharmacy, and vocational colleges were shut down, with nearly 80 per cent of minority institutions closing their doors.
Mehboob Alam Khan, honorary secretary of Anwarul Uloom, Loyola College chairman Father Raju, Zafar Jaweed, chairman of Sultan-ul-Uloom Educational Society, Ghouse Mohiuddin, Azad group chairman, Shah Alam Rasool Khan, chairman of Shadan Group of institutions and heads of several minority institutions participated in the event.