‘Fall in number of colleges’

Many colleges closed down after TRS came to power, says TPCC chief

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has alleged that education sector has been ruined due to the wrong priorities of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.

Mr. Reddy, who was speaking at the Round Table organised by KG to PG Educational Institutions Joint Action Committee at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram here said Telangana was apparently the only State in the country where number of educational institutions and students’ enrolment was on decline.

Quoting figures compiled by the JAC, he said while junior colleges were reduced from 2100 in 2014-15 to 1650 in 2017-18, the students’ enrolment in government junior colleges reduced from 4.45 lakh in 2014-15 to 4.30 lakh in 2017-18 and in corporate colleges it declined from 3.20 lakh to 2.90 lakh.

Similarly, affiliated degree colleges came down from 1078 in 2014-15 to 960, while 25 Affiliated PG Colleges were closed during the same period.

He also expressed concern over reported closure of over 3,100 primary schools under TRS regime.

The TRS government, which came to power on the promise of providing KG to PG free education, was not willing to give a clarification on the reasons. He said the government’s contention that residential schools for various communities increased was ridiculous as the existing 544 residential schools were benefiting only a small percentage of students while over 52 lakh students from KG to PG are being neglected.

Mr. Reddy also accused the Chief Minister of openly lying on the floor of the House on multiple occasions on clearing fee reimbursement dues. He said the CM once called private institutions ‘Education Mafia’ rather than solving their issues. He assured Congress party’s full support to the colleges’ fight.

MLA R. Krishnaiah, TJAC chairman M. Kodandaram, TDP leader Ravula Chandrashekhar Reddy spoke.