General Secunderabad / Marredpally

Fee reimbursement protest: Private college owners demand release of pending dues

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The Telangana Private Degree and P.G Colleges Management Association (TPDPMA) staged a protest in Hyderabad, demanding the release of fee reimbursement arrears from the state government. The college managements claim their dues for students from economically weaker sections have been pending for three years. The state government has allocated funds for the scheme but has only released a portion of it, leaving the colleges struggling to pay staff salaries and impacting the smooth running of classes. The TPDPMA representatives expressed frustration with the government's lack of action despite previous representations. The issue has also been raised in the Assembly by the AIMIM party, which has threatened to stage protests if the arrears are not cleared.
Telangana Colleges Protest Over Pending Fee Reimbursement Dues

Hyderabad: Several members of Telangana Private Degree and P.G Colleges Management Association (TPDPMA) staged a protest over the delay in fee reimbursement at Dharna Chowk Indira Park in Hyderabad on Saturday.

The college managements statewide have been putting pressure on the state government to release the fee reimbursement arrears. They said that their dues meant for students hailing from economically weaker sections have been pending for the last three years.

The state government has been allocating Rs.2,500 crore every year for fee reimbursement scheme, However, only 40 percent of it amounting to Rs.1,000 crore was allotted to non-professional programmesโ€™ students, according to TPDPMA. They have been demanding the release of at least half of the Rs 1,300 crore dues.

Due to unpaid fee reimbursement arrears, the college managements have been struggling to pay the staff salaries. They told media persons that the status quo on fee reimbursement issues is affecting the smooth running of classes.

We have been running from pillar to post, however, the issue of collegesโ€™ management has not been resolved. We met the Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on earlier occasions and submitted our representations. The state government has only given assurances and no proper action was taken on our requests. If the issue is not resolved soon, the management may have to take an inevitable decision, a representative of the TPDPMA told reporters.

Earlier, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) floor leader and Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi had warned the Congress government over the issue of clearing fee arrears. During the Assembly session, he said if the fee reimbursement dues for pre-matric and post-matric students are not cleared soon, the MIM party would stage protests in the streets to put pressure on the government.

Raising the issue of fee reimbursement dues for BC, SC, ST, and Minority students in the Assembly on Tuesday, Owaisi informed the House that the previous government had cleared the dues from the time of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh state. He requested the ruling government to clear the fee arrears that accumulated during the previous governmentโ€™s term.