Private Junior Colleges in Debt Trap

The Notification for online applications inviting for the extension of provisional Affiliation for the Academic year 2020-2021 by the Board of Intermediate Education in Telangana State has come as a "Bolt from the Blue" in the aftermath of the Coronavirus whereas the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) and the majority of the Universities in the country announced an automatic renewal of Affiliation as per the last year without any terms and conditions. 

The Private Junior Colleges (Budget) are agitated and struggling to find out the ways and the means to cope with the COVID scenario and maintain their Colleges following the protocol and the Standard of Procedures (SOP). On-line teaching is being discussed prominently but that will not be a substitute for Classroom teaching at the Intermediate level in the rural areas and towns. It will be totally impracticable and inflexible due to affordability and accessibility problems. Shift system is also being considered.  

                                                                                                                                                    Increasing the staff strength, maintaining the distance among the students wouldp involve huge amounts of expenditure causing heavy burden to the Private Managements as already most of them are bleeding financially and they are in a debt trap due to lack of required relief and financial assistance. The Managements have been requesting the Government to the fees reimbursement (RTF) for the last six years but of no avail.                    

The Board of Intermediate Education (BIE), which was established in 1969, continues to Supervise, Recognise the Private Junior Colleges, Conduct examinations, announce the results and the issuance of the Certificates to the Intermediate students. The BIE has been squeezing the Private Junior Colleges by increasing the Recognition fees, Affiliation fees, inspection fees and Penalties for the last four years. The BIE seems to be concentrating on the income to the Board rather than focusing oh the standards of education being imparted at the college level. 

There are 2560 Junior Colleges in Telangana State imparting education to ten lakhs of students but these colleges function under the different managements. There are 404 Government Junior Colleges another 200 Residential Junior Colleges under the Social Welfare Department, Tribal Welfare Department and the Gurukul Education Society etc.There are more than 300 Corporate Junior Colleges and 1400 Private Junior Colleges (most of them are Budget junior colleges). A Division Bench of Telangana High Court on 28th February 2020 permitted TSBIE to close down 68 junior colleges belonging to Sri Chaitanya and Narayana groups as they did not get the NOC from the fire department.     

There are more than two lakh students pursuing their two years course in the Government sectors and more than two lakh students studying in Corporate Junior colleges and more than five lakh students in Private Junior Colleges in the towns and the rural areas. The Government of Telangana spends 40000 rupees per annum on each  Intermediate student in the Government Junior Colleges and one lakh and twenty-five thousand on each student in Residential Junior Colleges whereas in Corporate Junior Colleges fees vary from a minimum of one lakh to two lakhs maximum depending upon the location and the facilities provided in the colleges.  

The students of weaker sections and the backward classes who can not afford to pay the huge amounts towards fees and other expenditure join in these private junior colleges located in the rural areas and the towns. They depend upon the RTF and the MTF sanctioned by the Government. The RTF is Rs1900 and The MTF is Rs 3000 to 4000 depending upon the status of the students. The Budget Junior Colleges are forced to accept both the RTF and the MTF and can not collect any other fees from the students and impart the education to them by paying Rents to the College Buildings and Salaries to the  Staff and other maintenance expenditure. The Debts of the Managements of the Private Junior Colleges are mounting causing many hardships and forced to live in limbo. The  Government of Telangana spends 500 crores providing employment to 10000 staff members whereas with an income of 200 crores the Private Junior Colleges providing employment to 55000 staff members without compromising the standards of education.

The Private Junior Colleges have been following the same curriculum and the examinations to the students studying in both the Private and the Government Junior Colleges are being conducted by the BIE and the students of the Private Junior colleges excel in examinations and the results. There is no doubt that the Private Junior Colleges Managements would rise to the occasion to provide the ambience and the infrastructure and continue to impart quality education. But the problems faced by the management should be solved immediately by the Government of Telangana by enhancing the RTF from the present Rs.1900 to a minimum of Rs.25000 which is still less than what the Government spends on online admissions, which was promised in the State Assembly, and automatic renewal of the Affiliations without any terms and conditions. The Private Managements have been rendering yeoman services in the education sector without any compromise on quality, taking it as a social responsibility catering to the needs of the students and making them useful and the worthy citizens of our country.