Private professional colleges across Telangana have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from Monday, September 15, to protest 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 September 16.
FATHI represents colleges running BTech, BEd, MBA, MCA, nursing, and other professional courses. The management say arrears have piled up to ₹8,000-10,000 crore over the years.
The prolonged delay in clearing the dues from the government has pushed institutions into a severe financial crisis, with faculty and staff salaries unpaid for months. Many teachers are unable to meet basic needs, forcing them to stay away from duties, disrupting academics and causing hardship to students.
“Instead of resolving the issue, the Higher Education department has been preoccupied with other matters. In view of this untenable situation, private institutions in Telangana have unanimously decided to close colleges indefinitely from September 15,” said FATHI chairman Dr N Ramesh Babu
“The situation is untenable. 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,” he demanded.
The Federation submitted a memorandum to the Higher Education Council chairman Professor V Balakista Reddy, demanding the release of at least ₹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 September 15, which is observed as Engineer’s Day— coinciding with the birth anniversary of India’s legendary engineer 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 ₹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 ₹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.
Also read: KTR slams Rahul Gandhi over MLA defections in Telangana
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