Hyderabad:The BJP on Saturday accused the Congress government of neglecting the education sector and demanded the immediate release of nearly ₹14,000 crore in pending fee reimbursement dues accumulated over the past five academic years.
Addressing a press conference, Kamareddy MLA Katipalli Venkataramana Reddy, accompanied by Sirpur MLA Dr Palvai Harish Babu, MLC C. Anji Reddy and BJP Kisan Morcha president B. Laxminarayana, said fee reimbursements for the academic years 2022-23 to 2025-26 remain unpaid. The dues include two years carried over from the previous BRS government and three years under the present Congress administration. He alleged that no reimbursement funds had been released during the past three years.
Venkataramana Reddy said the delay has pushed nearly 40 lakh students, who depend on the scheme for pursuing intermediate, degree, postgraduate, professional and non-professional courses, into financial uncertainty. He noted that around 12 to 14 lakh students enter higher education every year and nearly 60 lakh students had enrolled over the past five years.
He claimed that many colleges, particularly in rural areas, depend heavily on fee reimbursement funds for their functioning. With payments pending, several institutions are reportedly operating at reduced capacity or facing closure, leading to higher dropout rates. He further alleged that students completing professional courses are unable to obtain their certificates because of unpaid fees, forcing some to take up low-skilled jobs.
Highlighting the state’s higher education infrastructure, Venkataramana Reddy said Telangana has 43 universities, over 3,000 intermediate colleges, more than 1,100 degree colleges and around 2,700 higher education institutions that rely on the reimbursement scheme. He urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to clear the dues in phases, suggesting an initial release of ₹3,000 crore to ₹4,000 crore to provide relief to educational institutions, particularly in rural areas.
Warning of agitation, Venkataramana Reddy said BJP legislators would undertake statewide visits and organise protests with students if the government failed to act within the next 10 to 15 days.
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