The fee reimbursement scheme was introduced in 2008 in united Andhra Pradesh by then chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
Published Sep 13, 2025 | 11:12 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 13, 2025 | 11:12 AM
Representative image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: The college federation also opposed new government proposals, such as linking reimbursement to facial-recognition attendance. It called them “diversions” that increase financial pressure without solving the main problem. Semester exams are due in universities like Osmania and Kakatiya. The shutdown could delay results and disrupt the academic calendar.
Private professional colleges across Telangana have announced an indefinite bandh from Monday, 15 September. The protest is against the state government’s failure to clear pending fee reimbursement dues of students.
The strike, called by the Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI), will affect lakhs of students. More than 2,000 institutions—engineering, pharmacy, degree, and postgraduate colleges—will be hit. This apart, private degree and postgraduate college will close from 16 September.
FATHI represents colleges running BTech, BEd, MBA, MCA, nursing, and other professional courses. The managements say arrears have piled up to Rs 8,000–10,000 crore over the years.
“The situation is untenable,” said FATHI chairman Dr N Ramesh Babu on Friday, 12 September. “Faculty and staff have not been paid salaries for months. Many have stopped attending duties. With Dussehra approaching, the frustration is high. The government must release the dues immediately.”
The federation submitted a memorandum to Higher Education Council chairman Professor V Balakista Reddy. It demanded the release of at least Rs 1,200 crore, for which budget allocations have already been made. FATHI also proposed a “Fee Funding Bank” to streamline payments and a new reimbursement model to prevent recurring arrears. Despite repeated appeals to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and top officials, there has been no response, it claimed.
The strike begins on 15 September, which is also Engineer’s Day—birth anniversary of M Visvesvaraya. FATHI said the day will be observed as a “Black Day” to underline the crisis.
“If Visvesvaraya were alive, he would be heartbroken at the state of higher education in Telangana,” Dr Babu said.
This is not the first standoff. In October and November 2024, private colleges staged similar indefinite strikes. Over 1,800 institutions were closed, and semester exams were boycotted. Those protests forced the government to promise partial payments. At that time, arrears stood at Rs 4,000–6,000 crore.
The fee reimbursement scheme was introduced in 2008 in united Andhra Pradesh under the then Congress government led by late YS Rajasekhar Reddy. It waives tuition for students from weaker sections studying in private institutions. Telangana allocates around Rs 2,500 crore a year for it. But critics say policy changes and administrative delays have blocked the flow of funds.
FATHI also opposed new government proposals, such as linking reimbursement to facial-recognition attendance. It called them “diversions” that increase financial pressure without solving the main problem. The looming strike puts students in a fix. Semester exams are due in universities like Osmania and Kakatiya. The shutdown could delay results and disrupt the academic calendar.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
