Polytechnic students stop Komatireddy Venkat Reddy’s convoy over GO 97
Telangana : Polytechnic students stopped the convoy of Telangana minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy near the Clock Tower in Nalgonda on Friday, August 21, and urged the government to withdraw or reconsider Government Order 97.
The protest is part of a statewide campaign by polytechnic students against the proposed restructuring of polytechnic education under the government’s Shakti initiative.
A student who spoke to Venkat Reddy said, “If the GO is implemented, our diploma would be rendered useless, and we can’t get admissions into desired courses.”
The minister replied that the government had taken the initiative to provide jobs to students from all streams.
Students across Telangana have been protesting against GO 97, which brings polytechnic colleges under the newly formed Skill, Human Capital and Knowledge Training Initiatives (Shakti) department. The move also links polytechnic education with the Young India Skill University and proposes bringing polytechnics alongside Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Apprentice Training Centres.
The protests have centred on concerns over the future of diploma education and opportunities for students to pursue higher technical education.
Earlier this week, students staged protests at Ramanthapur and Musi Tank Bund in Hyderabad. Protests were also reported in Ramnaspura and Bahadurpura, affecting traffic movement in several areas.
Government says diploma courses will continue unchanged
Amid the protests, Telangana Labour Minister Gaddam Vivek Venkat Swamy said on Thursday that the government would set up a joint coordination task force to oversee the proposed administrative restructuring of polytechnic education.
The task force will include representatives of technical education bodies, polytechnic lecturers and other stakeholders, he said.
The minister said the restructuring was aimed at strengthening polytechnic education, aligning skill training with industry requirements and improving employment opportunities.
He said GO 97 shifts polytechnic colleges from the Commissionerate of Technical Education (CTE) to the Commissionerate of Employment and Training (CET).
The move is an administrative restructuring and is not intended to weaken polytechnic education or alter its identity, he said.
Task force to include technical education stakeholders
Vivek Venkat Swamy said the existing three-year, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)-recognised diploma courses would continue without any change in their duration, recognition or academic structure.
The fees fixed by the government would also remain unchanged, with no additional financial burden on students or parents, he said.
The State Board of Technical Education and Training (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.
The Telangana government’s current ministerial listing identifies Komatireddy Venkat Reddy as the minister for Roads and Buildings and Cinematography, and Gaddam Vivek Venkat Swamy as the minister handling Labour, Employment, Training and Factories.
