Framework For Rationalisation Of RTF Policy: Under pressure, govt floats panel

Hyderabad: Following the closure of many educational institutions, mainly professional colleges, in protest against nonpayment of long-pending fee reimbursement dues and mounting pressure, the state government has constituted a committee involving top officials and representatives from the Federation of Association of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI) to mobilize funds for fee reimbursement. The committee has been asked to submit a report within three months.

The 15-member committee to be headed by Special Chief Secretary (Welfare department) with the Finance Secretary as the Vice-Chairman will have three members from FATHI, and include Prof Kodandaram, Prof Kancha Ilaiah, Secretaries of Education, SC Development, ST and Minority welfare departments, Chairman of the State Council of Higher Education and Commissioner of the SC Development Department.

The terms of reference include studying the self-sustainable fee reimbursement scheme through the proposed trust bank, constructive and robust inputs, transparent and sustainable framework for rationalisation of fee reimbursement policy. 

The committee will hold detailed deliberations and examine suggestions and proposals before submitting its report to the government within the stipulated three months. Meanwhile, the panel is expected to come up with suggestions to improve the state’s higher education system. Department officials said that the government has taken a serious note of the repeated threats from private educational institutions vis-à-vis payment of fee reimbursement dues.

Reportedly, many educational institutions flouted norms and ran them without maintaining the standards prescribed by the government. The committee is also expected to come up with some bold recommendations to check exploitation of the fee reimbursement scheme through a strict regular scrutiny.

The authorities said that the government was already cracking the whip against institutions that have failed to maintain the mandated standards.

An earlier vigilance commission report has sought the government to take stringent action against erring institutions.