Hyderabad: Students continued to protest over the state government’s move to merge polytechnic colleges with Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Advanced Technology Centres (ATCs) under the newly formed Shakti department for the second day on Thursday, August 20, even as the government sought to explain that no changes had been made yet.
The issue stems from GO 97, issued on July 3, which renamed the Labour, Employment, Training, and Factories Department as SHAKTI, short for Skill, Human Capital and Knowledge Training Initiatives, and brought polytechnic colleges under the ambit of the Young India Skill University.
Demonstrations were held at Abdullapurmet near Ramoji Film City and Yousufguda. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders also joined the protest at Masab Tank and led a rally on National Highway 565.
Students protesting in Abdullapurmet alleged that they were beaten up by the police. BRS alleged that party leaders protesting at Masab Tank were detained and taken to Asif Nagar Police Station.
CM Revanth sacrificing polytechnic education for his skill university: BRS
Speaking at the Masab Tank protest, BRS state president Gellu Srinivas Yadav alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was trying to render polytechnic education ineffective to get recognition for his skill university.
He alleged that through the merger, the government was trying to wash its hands of fee reimbursement.
“Those who study in skill universities are not getting real jobs at all. Students are not interested in studying in skill universities… polytechnic students should not be treated like ITI students,” he said.
“Under the guise of the Young India Skill University model, the Congress government has issued GO No. 97 as part of a conspiracy to benefit private individuals and institutions,” he added.
Congress conspiring to keep poor away from technical education: BRS
BRS state vice president Thunga Balu said that by running the system in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, Congress was handing over government educational institutions to private individuals.
“This decision, in particular, would hand over education that should be provided free of cost to SC, ST, BC, poor, and middle-class students to a skill university operating under private partnership, leading to a massive increase in the burden of fees in the future. Therefore, the Revanth government is conspiring to keep poor students away from technical education,” he said in a post on X.
“It is utterly deplorable that the government, unable to release fee reimbursement funds to students, is pushing polytechnic students toward private universities. In the past, after completing polytechnic, there was direct entry into the second year of engineering (lateral entry). But due to this merger, they will lose that facility, and if they want to pursue engineering, they will have to endure the miserable situation of doing intermediate again for two years,” he said.
KTR condemns police action against students
BRS working president KT Rama Rao expressed solidarity with students and condemned police action against students. “I express my complete solidarity with the statewide struggle being waged by polytechnic students against GO 97. This erroneous decision taken by the Revanth government has rendered the futures of thousands of polytechnic students uncertain. The visuals of police behaving inappropriately towards students who are peacefully expressing their protest in some places have deeply disturbed me. I urge the Congress government not to trample on the rights of students,” he stated in a post on X.
Govt gives assurance to students
The fact-check page of the Telangana government released a statement on Thursday, saying that no changes have been implemented and current arrangements regarding lateral entry, fees, and scholarships will be continued.
They also claimed that BRS was misleading the students.
“Following concerns raised by polytechnic students regarding lateral entry, fees and scholarships, the Telangana Government has clarified that there is no change in the existing arrangements…the government is engaging with student unions on the concerns raised, and the issues will be further clarified through the appropriate official channels,” the statement read.
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