Khammam: Students in Financial Trouble Due to Pending Fee Reimbursements
Students in Khammam district are struggling financially because the government hasn’t released the fee reimbursement and stipends they are owed. Over ₹109 crore in dues are pending for students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Backward Classes (BC), and minority communities.
Many students who have completed their courses are unable to get their certificates as colleges are withholding them. Without these certificates, students are finding it difficult to apply for higher studies or attend job interviews. Meanwhile, the management of these educational institutions says they are finding it hard to manage daily operations due to lack of funds.
For BC and Economically Backward Classes (EBC) students, the fee reimbursement has been pending since the 2021-22 academic year. The total amount due for these students is ₹47.4 crore. Additionally, more than ₹30 crore in arrears is owed by the SC welfare department for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years. The tribal welfare department also has pending arrears of around ₹3 crore.
In total, about ₹80.4 crore in fee reimbursements is still due for BC, EBC, tribal, and minority students. Specifically, the minority welfare department owes ₹21.34 crore in unpaid fee reimbursements and stipends.
Student union leader Md Azad pointed out that many private colleges haven’t been paying their teaching and non-teaching staff for over six months due to the financial crisis. As a result, the faculty is not motivated to teach, and the institutions are failing to provide basic facilities, claiming they are out of money.
Students studying various courses like engineering, MBA, MCA, and others are severely affected by the government’s delay in paying fee arrears over the last two to three years. After completing their courses, students are being asked by their colleges to pay the fees themselves, as their certificates are being held back until the dues are cleared.
On the fourth day of protests, the Kakatiya University Private Management Association (KUPMA) district unit closed their colleges. RJC Krishan, a member of the association, demanded that the government release the pending fee reimbursements immediately.
