Telangana Order Shifting Polytechnics to Skills University Sparks Protests

Polytechnic students and staff across Telangana have launched protests following the state government's decision to move all polytechnic colleges from the State Board of Technical Education and Training to the newly established Young India Skills University. The controversy erupted after the issuance of GO MS No. 97, which transfers polytechnics, Industrial Training Institutes, and Advanced Training Centres to the framework of the university, operating under a Public-Private Partnership model in the Shakti department.

Students from institutions including the Government Polytechnic at Masab Tank in Hyderabad have raised severe concerns regarding the potential impact on their academic structure, fee regulation, and future career prospects. Under the current system, diploma holders use the Engineering Common Entrance Test to gain lateral entry into undergraduate engineering programmes, and students fear the proposed shift could lead to the scrapping of this examination.

Nearly 50,000 students enrol in polytechnic programmes across the state annually, with roughly 80 per cent graduating with technical diplomas. Stakeholders point out that while ITIs and ATCs train skilled and semi-skilled workers with an 80:20 practical-to-theory ratio, polytechnics educate supervisory-cadre personnel with a 50:50 or 60:40 curriculum structure under the higher education umbrella.

Fee structure changes have also emerged as a major grievance. At present, professional course fees are regulated by the Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee. Under the university's PPP model, fee determination would fall directly to the institution, sparking fears of steep hikes among students.

Teaching staff have similarly voiced opposition to proposed transfers from the Technical Education department to the Labour department. Faculty representatives noted that polytechnics adhere to AICTE pay scales and cadring, with curriculums approved by the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research.

Shravan Kumar Goud, general secretary of the Telangana Polytechnic Joint Action Committee, stated that the organisation has sought official clarifications regarding student and staff concerns. The move also impacts the SBTET, which was established in 1957 to manage examinations and academic oversight across the state's polytechnic network.