Telangana govt to retain polytechnics under Technical Education department

The Telangana government decided to continue operating polytechnic colleges under the Technical Education department following a 35-day protest against their proposed merger with YISU. The government also assured students and faculty that diploma courses and examinations would remain unchanged

Hyderabad: Bowing to a series of protests by polytechnic students and faculty members, the Telangana Congress government decided to continue operating polytechnic colleges under the Technical Education department. It also clarified that there would be no changes to diploma courses, the examination system or AICTE-related matters.

The government’s decision was conveyed by Advisor to Government (Public Affairs) K Keshava Rao to representatives of the Telangana Polytechnic Joint Action Committee (TP-JAC) here on Sunday.

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The move comes after a high-level committee headed by K Keshava Rao met TP-JAC members and students who had been protesting for the last 35 days, demanding the revocation of GO-97, which merges polytechnics with Young India Skills University (YISU) under the Shakti department (formerly the Labour department).

The order also integrates all Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Advanced Technology Centres (ATCs) with YISU. TP-JAC representatives questioned the merger, stating that the pay scales, cadres and promotion levels of staff of polytechnics, ITIs and ATCs were entirely different, with AICTE pay scales also being applicable.

Meanwhile, diploma in engineering students expressed serious concerns that the merger would reduce them to the status of labourers. Students also raised concerns over their future, fearing that they would not be able to pursue undergraduate engineering education through lateral entry via ECET due to the merger.

Since YISU was established under a public-private partnership, students also feared that the university could exorbitantly increase tuition fees. In addition, they expressed apprehension that polytechnic assets worth thousands of crores could be put to commercial use, as the YISU Act permits such use.

The TP-JAC representatives and students put forward some of these specific questions to the committee. As the answers were not convincing, the students made it clear that they would not accept the merger of polytechnic colleges with YISU under any circumstances. They warned that protests would be intensified if the government proceeded with the merger.

Given the gravity of the situation and the anger among students and polytechnic staff, Keshava Rao, who met Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday, submitted a detailed report. He reportedly informed the Chief Minister that students and faculty members were staunchly opposing the merger and suggested continuing with the existing system of polytechnic education.

TP-JAC chairman M Nagaraju and secretary general Shravan Kumar Goud said the JAC ended its 35-day non-cooperation protest programme after the government clarified that government polytechnics would continue under the Technical Education department. “Recording of FRS attendance, regular classes and examinations will be conducted as per the schedule,” they added.