Hyderabad: As the protest against Government Order 97 continues across Telangana, polytechnic students in Nalgonda stopped the convoy of Telangana Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Friday, August 21, and urged him to stop the order from being implemented.
The convoy was stopped near the Clock Tower in Nalgonda.
One of the students spoke to Reddy and said, “If the GO is implemented, our diploma would be rendered useless, and we can’t get admissions into desired courses.” To this, the minister replied that the government had taken the initiative to provide jobs to students from all streams.
Why are students protesting?
The students of polytechnic colleges across Telangana are protesting against Government Order 97, which aims to merge polytechnic colleges with ITIs and Apprentice Training Centres under the newly formed Shakti department.
It was issued by the Telangana government 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.
Earlier this week, protests were held at Ramanthapur, Musi Tank Bund, and reportedly in Ramnaspura and Bahadurpura, triggering traffic snarls across several stretches in Hyderabad.
Government to set up task force for polytechnic education
Amid ongoing protests by the polytechnic students, Telangana Labour Minister Vivek Venkatswamy on Thursday announced that the Telangana government will set up a joint coordination task force comprising representatives of key technical education bodies, polytechnic lecturers and other stakeholders to oversee the proposed administrative restructuring of polytechnic education.
Addressing the media at the Secretariat, the minister said the restructuring aims to strengthen polytechnic education, aligning skill training with industry requirements and improving employment opportunities for students.
He said the government had issued GO 97, bringing polytechnics under the Commissionerate of Employment and Training (CET) from the Commissionerate of Technical Education (CTE).
The move was only an administrative restructuring and was not intended to weaken polytechnic education or alter its identity, he said.
Venkataswamy said the existing three-year, AICTE-recognised diploma courses would continue without any change in duration, recognition or academic structure.
The fees fixed by the govt would also remain unchanged, with no additional financial burden on students or parents.
SBTET will be reorganised into two divisions, with the polytechnic wing functioning as a separate unit under CET.
“Polytechnic admissions, examinations, diploma examinations and other academic matters will continue under the new arrangement,” he said.
Follow on Twitter | Edited by Mohammed Baleegh | | 
