Fee Reimbursement Dues: 2,000 Telangana private colleges shut indefinitely from today; exams suspended

Nearly 2,000 private professional and degree colleges in Telangana declared an indefinite shutdown from today, September 15, citing the government’s delay in clearing fee reimbursement dues. The Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Education Institutions (FATHI) said the move will affect several lakh students across the state.

According to Telangana Today report, college managements have also decided to mark September 15 — Engineers’ Day — as a “Black Day” in protest against the pending dues. FATHI chairman N Ramesh Babu stated that the government has not released Rs 1,800 crore despite issuing tokens, and warned that the academic calendar could be severely disrupted if the funds were not cleared.

The association has set September 21 as the deadline for the release of dues. Telangana Today quoted Ramesh Babu as saying that if the government does not respond, a massive student protest will be held on September 23 and 24. He further announced that students should not attend classes and that college gates would remain locked during the agitation.

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FATHI demands Rs 8,000 crore arrears by year-end

FATHI general secretary Ravi Kumar said that examinations in private institutions would also remain suspended until the issue is resolved. At an emergency general body meeting, the association demanded that the state clear all arrears amounting to nearly Rs 8,000 crore from previous years. It proposed that 50 per cent be released by October 31 and the balance by December 31.

Managements have also sought a government order (GO) to institutionalise an annual reimbursement system, with September 30 set as the deadline for disbursing funds each academic year, beginning from 2025–26. They also urged the state to clear dues for the current academic cycle by March 31, 2026, and provide a feasibility report on the proposed Trust Bank model by October 31.

As highlighted in Telangana Today, faculty and non-teaching staff in several colleges have gone months without salaries due to the delay. Expressing regret, Ramesh Babu said: “On behalf of all managements, I express my apology to faculty members for not being able to pay salaries in time due to the ongoing fee reimbursement issue with the government.”