SFI urges success of Telangana State Universities convention
A call was given to make the Telangana State Universities convention a grand success, to be held on March 17 and 18 at Palamuru University, Mahabubnagar. The appeal was made by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) during a poster unveiling programme organised at the SFI State Office on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion, SFI State President Sanigarapu Rajinikanth said the two-day State Universities Convention will witness the participation of around 200 delegates representing all government universities across Telangana. He stated that the convention aims to deliberate on the problems faced by universities and students, and to formulate a future course of action to strengthen the higher education sector in the state.
Rajinikanth said that on March 17, a massive student rally and a public meeting will be organised as part of the convention. Renowned folk singer and MLC Goreti Venkanna will attend the public meeting as the chief guest, along with SFI National Joint Secretary Aishe Ghosh.
Criticising the Congress government, the SFI leader alleged that the state government has been neglecting public universities and has failed to take concrete steps to strengthen them. He said that the budget allocated to universities is barely sufficient to pay salaries, leaving no scope for infrastructure development or introduction of new academic courses. He demanded that the government allocate a higher share of the upcoming state budget to public universities.
Rajinikanth pointed out that students in universities are facing severe difficulties due to the lack of reviews and monitoring, even after two years. He alleged that the appointment of Vice-Chancellors has not resulted in any visible development. He questioned how students can pursue quality education when key teaching and non-teaching posts, including assistant professors, associate professors and other staff positions, remain vacant.
He further condemned the conversion of postgraduate courses into self-financing programmes, stating that it has imposed an additional financial burden on students and is forcing students from poor and marginalised backgrounds to discontinue their education. SFI demanded that all self-finance courses be regularised.
Highlighting student welfare issues, Rajinikanth urged the government to immediately resolve hostel-related problems, provide free mess cards to students and establish health centres in universities.
He also demanded that the state government extend fellowships to PhD scholars and conduct student union elections without delay.
SFI also strongly opposed the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP) in educational institutions, stating that it undermines public education. He said that the convention will discuss various issues affecting the education sector and prepare strategies for future movements to protect and strengthen state universities.
The programme was attended by SFI State Vice Presidents D. Kiran and Ashok Reddy, DYFI State President Kota Ramesh, State Committee Member Ramesh, Mamatha and several other student leaders.
