Fee Reimbursement Crisis: Harish Rao Says 310 Private Colleges Have Shut Down

Former minister and BRS MLA T. Harish Rao on Tuesday demanded the immediate release of pending fee reimbursement dues, accusing the Congress government in Telangana of pushing private degree and postgraduate colleges into a deep financial crisis.

His remarks came after representatives of the Telangana Private Degree and PG Colleges Management Association met him and submitted a representation highlighting the difficulties faced by colleges due to the prolonged delay in payments.

Taking aim at Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Harish Rao said the government could not claim to be building a world-class education system while failing to clear fee reimbursement dues for months. He alleged that the non-release of funds over the past two-and-a-half years had placed private higher education institutions under severe financial strain.

According to Harish Rao, the number of private degree colleges in Telangana has fallen from 960 to 650, with 310 colleges shutting down as managements struggled to sustain operations. In several institutions, teaching and non-teaching employees have reportedly gone without salaries for five to 10 months, while college managements are also finding it difficult to meet rent and electricity expenses.

He said private colleges remain an important pillar of higher education, particularly in rural areas where government institutions are limited. Students from BC, SC, ST, minority and EWS communities, he said, depend heavily on these colleges, warning that further closures could leave thousands of economically disadvantaged students without access to higher education.

Harish Rao also accused the Congress of failing to honour its manifesto promise to clear fee reimbursement dues, including old arrears. Although three state budgets have been presented, he claimed that nearly Rs 10,000 crore in dues remained pending.

Defending the previous BRS government, he said it had cleared Rs 2,500 crore in old dues and released around Rs 19,500 crore under the scheme over nine-and-a-half years, despite challenges such as demonetisation and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Demanding an immediate settlement of the pending dues, Harish Rao also called for a permanent mechanism to ensure timely release of funds every academic year. He warned that the BRS would stall Assembly proceedings over the issue if the government failed to act.