Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on May 7 heard a public interest litigation (PIL) against private junior colleges conducting classes during summer vacation.
The division bench of Telangana High Court’s vacation bench comprising justices Surepalli Nanda and J Srinivas Rao heard the PIL as a lunch motion against private junior colleges flouting guidelines pertaining to conducting classes during summer vacation and posted the case to May 14.
The PIL said that colleges conducting physical and online classes defied the stipulated academic calendar announced by the Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (TGBIE). The petitioner, Bandela Kranthi Kumar, is an advocate.
He was represented by his counsel, CR Sukumar, seeking directions to the private intermediate colleges not to conduct classes, physical or virtual, during the holidays declared in the annual academic calendar issued by the TGBIE.
Kumar sought directions from the High Court to stop colleges from conducting classes during vacations. The vacation court bench heard the submissions from Sukumar and the Telangana government’s counsel, who sought time to file their counter.
A special government pleader from the office of the Advocate General told the court that no private junior college in Telangana was conducting academic classes during the summer vacation.
However, he said the intermediate board will not have control over private educational institutions running tuitions and coaching classes during the summer vacation.
The petitioner’s counsel submitted to the vacation court bench that the intermediate board has, through an academic calendar, stipulated holidays to ensure holistic growth of students, preserve their mental health and allow them to rejuvenate between rigorous academic sessions.
The counsel informed the bench that even courts have vacations during summer, primarily aimed at better mental health and effective functioning.
Excessive academic sessions without breaks lead to enormous stress, mental health ailments, burnouts, anxiety, depression and even suicidal tendencies amongst students, the petitioner’s counsel submitted to the Court, citing a March 2023 study by the Telangana intermediate board itself.
The authorities, who are duty-bound to strictly supervise the functioning of private intermediate colleges by regular inspections, have remained mute spectators and have given a free hand to private colleges to exploit students, the petitioner’s counsel argued.
The bench sought a counter from the junior colleges regarding the PIL and postponed the judgment till May 14.
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