Hyderabad: The opposition to the introduction of the Private University Bill in Telangana Assembly saw Osmania University Teachers’ Association (OUTA) and student leaders from various colleges and universities join the protest programme call by Telangana State Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (TSFUTA). They gathered in front of the Arts College at Osmania University.
Student leaders also gave a State bandh call against introduction of the Bill.
Hundreds of students and teachers participated in the protest. The Bill introduced in the Assembly was atrocious and hampered the very existence of state-funded higher education institutions, they said. Copies of the Bill were burnt as a part of the protest. Slogans like save universities, save Telangana State were heard on OU campus.
OUTA president Battu Satyanarana said, “TRS in its manifesto 2014 promised that KG to PG education will be made free and compulsory in the Telangana State. It also promised to establish government engineering colleges in every district headquarters and polytechnic colleges in each assembly constituency. It also promised to strengthen the education in the government sector only.
Contradictory to this, the Government is allowing the private players in higher education at the cost of state-funded institutions.’’
Telangana Recognised School Managements Associations president S. Srinivas Reddy said, “The Bill was not in TRS manifesto. Instead of recruiting teachers in the historic universities, the government is trying to bring private universities to the state which is not acceptable.” The organisations said the agitation would be intensified till the government withdrew the Bill.
State non-committal on weaker sections
The Opposition parties on Wednesday expressed concern that the private universities will commercialise higher education and students from socially and economically weaker sections would be adversely affected.
They demanded reservations and fee reimbursement for students from BCs, SCs, STs and minorities in private universities.
However, the government stated that 25 per cent quota in admissions will be given to local people from Telangana in these universities but remained non-committal on caste reservation and fee reimbursement.
MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said that the Bill lacked clarity on minority and non-minority institutions. “The government should ensure that existing government universities are not hit on account of private universities,” he said.
BJP MLA K.Laxman said that education and health are Constitutional rights of citizens. “The government is slowly trying to shed its responsibility from these sectors by encouraging private players. Nearly 1,600 teaching posts are lying vacant in government universities, including in Osmania and Kakatiya. The government is weakening these universities by not granting adequate funds, faculty and encouraging private universities,” he said.
TD leader R. Krishnaiah said that the BCs, SCs, STs and minorities constitute 90 per cent of Telangana’s population. “Private universities cannot do justice to these sections. Moreover, private universities are given complete freedom on fees and syllabus. They may resort to irregularities in exams and awarding marks as per their whims,” he said.
However, Deputy CM Kadiam Srihari rubbished these arguments.
“We are inviting private universities while strengthening the government universities. We want Telangana students to have access to private universities like their counterparts in all other states. We have incorporated enough safeguards in the Act to ensure that they do not exploit the students,” Srihari said.
He lashed out against the BJP and TDP for opposing private universities in Telangana saying that all BJP-ruled states had private universities and the TD government in AP brought Private Universities Act and opened doors to them.
Educationists to intensify agitation against Bill
Educationists on Wednesday strongly condemned the Private Universities’ Bill and vowed to intensify their agitation till the government withdraws it.
Prof. G. Haragopal said, “Having coming to power with the slogan of KG to PG free education, the TRS government has not done anything in that direction in the last four years. Now, they are trying to make higher education unaffordable for weaker sections by bringing in private universities.”
OU Teachers’ Association president Prof. Battu Satyanarayana said, “Since the last four years, there were no teacher recruitments in Osmania University and other state Universities. The government is deliberately weakening them to pave way for private universities. We demand the government to scrap the Act. Otherwise, we will intensify our protests.”
