Polytechnic JAC accuses Telangana govt of eyeing college assets for commercial use
The Telangana Polytechnic Joint Action Committee (TP JAC) has opposed the proposed merger of government polytechnic colleges with the Young India Skills University (YISU), alleging that the move could eventually put valuable college land and infrastructure to commercial use.
The committee said the government had not clearly explained how the polytechnic system would function after being brought under the YISU framework and raised concerns over the impact of the proposed changes on students and institutions.
At a press conference on Thursday, TP JAC chairman M Nagaraju said provisions of the YISU Act allow the university to use assets and infrastructure brought under its control for income-generating and commercial activities.
He said polytechnic campuses need their existing land and facilities for classrooms, laboratories, research centres, incubation facilities, hostels and playgrounds. Any diversion of these assets, he warned, could affect the institutions ability to meet the requirements prescribed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
“If the assets are taken away, the AICTE may not grant approvals for the colleges next year citing a shortage of minimum requirements. Without AICTE approval, the diplomas will not have validity,” Nagaraju said.
TP JAC convener Suresh said government polytechnics had played a key role in providing technical education for nearly seven decades and questioned the need to alter the existing system without a clear transition plan.
He also alleged that the government had yet to provide a detailed roadmap for the proposed merger, raising questions over the future administration and funding of the institutions.
TP JAC secretary general Shravan Kumar Goud said government polytechnics had enabled students from rural and economically weaker families to access technical education at relatively low cost.
He claimed that a diploma course could be completed for around Rs 15,000 at present, but warned that fees could rise substantially if they came under a university whose board of governors would have a role in determining fees.
The committee welcomed the governments decision to set up a high-level committee for consultations with stakeholders but demanded that GO MS 97 be withdrawn. Alternatively, it sought deletion of the fourth provision of the order, which states that all polytechnic colleges will be brought under the YISU framework and ecosystem.
