Hyderabad, May 17: The decision of the managements of private professional colleges to close the institutions from May 26 is not sudden, asserts, A Varaprasada Reddy of Holy Mary Institute of Technology and Sciences. Here is his take on the emerging crisis: Q: What is the reason for the sudden decision to shutdown colleges from May 26? A: It was not a sudden decision, as it had been brewing in our minds for quite some time. Financial resources have dried up drastically in the past two years for even established professional colleges and the delay in fee reimbursement has made things worse.
Q: With exams around the corner in almost all the universities, do you think it is right on your part to take this decision affecting the prospects of students? A: We have been waiting for more than seven months and displayed resilience. Last year (2008-09), many new colleges faced the brunt, even after receiving the amounts in December and January, due to the delay. This year, even as the academic year is reaching its end, there is no proper communication from the government leaving us with no options but to call for a shutdown of colleges and send a legal notice to the government. We have already approached the State Human Rights Commission.
Q: What about the colleges that have been forcing students to pay the fee? A: This is precisely the reason why we have made certain demands. It is very easy for everyone to point fingers at the colleges. Certainly there are some colleges that have been resorting to pressure tactics and harassing the students.
Q: Would MBA, MCA, pharmacy colleges would be joining the shutdown? A: The CPECMA members have been keeping in touch with all the private college managements. Most of them have also engineering colleges and would join us.
–Agencies