Union minister G. Kishan Reddy criticised Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for calling engineering education a "criminal waste", saying the remarks insulted students and young professionals.
Union minister G. Kishan Reddy sharply criticised Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for describing engineering education as a “criminal waste”, calling it a sign of irresponsibility and an insult to the state’s youths.
In a statement issued here on Thursday, Kishan Reddy said instead of initiating a healthy, constructive debate on problems in the education system and working for change, the Chief Minister chose to use derogatory words against students. “It appears the CM, after learning a couple of words in a weekend class at Harvard University, has come here and is trying to use them, forgetting that he is insulting the Gen-Z,” Kishan Reddy said.
Kishan Reddy questioned what Revanth Reddy, education minister for two-and-a-half years, had done to bring about changes in the sector. “He is trying to prove himself an intellectual by using known and unknown words, which is unfortunate,” Kishan Reddy said. He added that it was unclear why Revanth Reddy suddenly woke up to talk about engineering education standards.
The Union minister alleged that the CM’s remarks were driven by frustration over students demanding payment of fee reimbursement dues. He recalled that Revanth Reddy had threatened private engineering colleges demanding fee reimbursement arrears and even ordered vigilance raids on educational institutions.
Kishan Reddy also noted that then-Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had, in 2015, said in the Assembly that engineering students’ standards were poor and that he felt ashamed hearing about it, even calling their education “monsoon studies”. “But despite being in power for nine years, KCR made no effort to bring changes in the very issue that caused him anguish,” Kishan Reddy said.
In a separate video message from the US, where he is visiting, Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao demanded that Revanth Reddy apologise to engineering students and the student community for his “criminal waste” remark.
The BJP leader alleged that the CM was pressurising engineering college managements and students even as he criticised the quality of education.
