BJP alleges neglect of higher education in Telangana

Hyderabad (Same Day): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana State vice-president Dr. Kasam Venkateshwarlu on Tuesday accused the Congress government of “gross neglect” of the higher education sector, alleging that universities in the State were facing an unprecedented crisis due to lack of funding, faculty recruitment and policy direction.

Addressing a media conference in Hyderabad, Dr. Venkateshwarlu said that the recent conference of Vice-Chancellors, held alongside the Assembly session, had exposed the “grim realities” of Telangana’s universities. He said the Vice-Chancellors themselves had expressed deep concern over the deterioration in academic standards, research output and infrastructure, which he termed as clear evidence of the State government’s failure.

He alleged that while the previous BRS government had weakened higher education, the present Congress government under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was “further dismantling” the system. “The fact that Vice-Chancellors are forced to seek funds even for basic infrastructure shows how dire the situation has become,” he said.

Citing data presented by the BJP, Dr. Venkateshwarlu said that out of 2,816 sanctioned faculty posts across State universities, as many as 2,059 posts — nearly 75% — were vacant. In Osmania University alone, 936 out of 1,267 posts were vacant, while several universities, including Kakatiya University, Mahatma Gandhi University, Palamuru University and others, were functioning without a single professor.

He said a similar situation prevailed in government degree colleges, where only 1,255 faculty members were working against 4,098 sanctioned posts. “Such severe shortages make quality teaching and research impossible,” he said, adding that without professors and research activity, universities would lose UGC grants, rankings and central funding.

Dr. Venkateshwarlu criticised the State government for not implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, despite Vice-Chancellors reportedly stressing its importance for academic mobility and national rankings. He accused the Congress of rejecting the NEP for “political reasons” at the cost of students’ futures.

He also alleged that universities lacked functional autonomy, with Vice-Chancellors having to seek government approvals even for minor recruitments. Faculty training programmes, curriculum updates and exposure to new technologies had come to a standstill, he said.

Expressing concern over budgetary allocations, the BJP leader said that despite a promise to allocate 15% of the Budget to education, the Congress government had earmarked only 7.6%. Vice-Chancellors had demanded at least 10% allocation, warning that universities could not survive otherwise, he added.

Dr. Venkateshwarlu demanded immediate filling up of all vacant professor posts, implementation of the NEP, enhancement of education funding to at least 10% of the Budget, and transparent governance in universities. He also called on the State government to discuss the higher education crisis during the ongoing Assembly session and make clear announcements on funding and recruitment.

BJP State vice-president Kolli Madhavi, State general secretary O. Srinivas Reddy, SC Morcha State president Kanthi Kiran and others were present at the press conference.