Hyderabad: Thousands of students, led by the Dalita Minority Students Association (DMSA) and Telangana Student Federation (TSF), held a protest rally at the Hanumakonda district collectorate on Monday, demanding the immediate release of ₹ 6,500 fee reimbursement and scholarship arrears. They also called for the appointment of a full-time education minister.
Student leaders demanded the immediate release of ₹ 6,500 crore fee reimbursement dues over the last three years and another ₹ 8,000 crore dues pending for six years. They criticised the government's priorities, questioning why the funds were allocated for schemes such as the farm loan waiver and HYDRAA while ignoring the needs of students.
The protesters expressed concern that non-payment of fee reimbursement dues was forcing institutions to collect fees from students, jeopardising the education of those from marginalised backgrounds.
Student union leaders said that they would undertake future state-wide actions if their demands were not met promptly. The protest was led by DMSA state president Dudapaka Naresh, TSF state president Kannam Sunil, and other student leaders; and a large of students participated in the protest.
