Telangana private colleges to shut from Nov 3 over fee dues

Private professional colleges in Telangana have announced closure from November 3, citing the government's failure to release Rs 1,200 crore in fee reimbursement dues. FATHI has issued a notice and scheduled meetings with stakeholders ahead of the shutdown.

Hyderabad: Frustrated with the State government’s inordinate delay in release of fee reimbursement dues, the managements of private professional colleges, including those offering engineering and pharmacy programmes, have called institutional closure from November 3.

A notice on closure of colleges will be served to the government on October 22.

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The Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI), which conducted its core committee meeting here on Sunday, took this decision as the government has failed to release Rs 300 crore fee dues as assured by Diwali festival.

Earlier, FATHI had deferred its strike from October 13 to 23 as the government promised to release pending dues before the festival.

According to the managements, the State government released a mere Rs 376 crore out of Rs 1,200 crore fee dues that were assured before Diwali.

“For the last couple of days, we have been running pillar to post, meeting Ministers and officials seeking our fee dues. However, we are given one template answer – the government does not have money and colleges need to wait for two to three months. How can colleges survive without receiving fee dues for the last four years? Now, we have no option but to close colleges and the same has been communicated to the government,” said a college owner.

Apart from release of Rs 900 crore by November 1, the managements of private colleges have demanded the government to give a clear timeline for disbursal of remaining Rs 8,800 crore fee reimbursement dues and future fee reimbursement payments.

In the run-up to the institutions’ closure, the FATHI chalked out a schedule, including meeting with professional accredited colleges association and students’ organisations on October 24 and 25 respectively. After its general body meeting on October 26, the private colleges will hold meetings with all parties on November 1.