Polytechnic merger rolled back after 35-day stir

Hyderabad: After 35 days of protest, arrests of students, and faculty non-cooperation, the State government on Monday decided to roll back the merger of government polytechnic colleges with the Young India Skill University.

Polytechnic Student Joint Action Committee (PSJAC) Chairman Eravelli Jagan said the government’s merger move raised questions about the very survival of polytechnic colleges, forcing students to resist. The JAC leaders’ coordination with student organisations and leaders of different political parties supporting the issue helped lakhs of students across the state stand in support of the cause.

Following the resistance, the state government has decided to keep the Government Polytechnic Colleges under the purview of the Technical Education Department. “Otherwise, it would be a threat to the survival of the Technical Education Department and the State Technical Education Council, which was averted. Welcoming the decision of the State government to immediately stop the process of allocating employees of the Technical Education Department in association with the Skill University, he added.

Following the decision, there will be no change in the management of diploma courses. It has been announced that the All India Council of Technical Education regulations, academic syllabus, and examination system will continue completely in the old manner. The fact that students and polytechnic faculty members directly participated in these agitations and took up non-cooperation gave the movement more strength.

With the persistence of JACa and pressure from faculty members, protecting polytechnic colleges finally led the State government to concede the demand and decide not to merge the government polytechnic colleges into the skill university.

Jagan thanked the students and faculty associations for their support and the government for deciding to continue the earlier system under the State Technical Education Department.

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The Hans India