Hyderabad: The Federation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Higher Institutions (Fathi) has deferred its proposed statewide strike of private colleges after the Telangana government assured that Rs 300 crore in pending scholarship and fee-reimbursement dues would be released by Diwali.
Fathi’s core committee met Chief Minister’s advisor Vem Narender Reddy earlier this week to discuss the long-pending arrears. He conveyed Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s assurance that at least Rs 300 crore would be released before the festival and requested college managements to postpone their agitation.
Following the meeting, Fathi’s executive council passed a unanimous resolution postponing the strike and shutdown originally planned for October 13, extending the deadline to October 23 — the day after Diwali. “If the government fails to release the promised funds by then, the general body will reconvene and announce fresh action,” the resolution said.
Fathi stated that although Rs 200 crore was released before Dasara, nearly 70 minority and general colleges have not yet received their dues. The federation said it would hold further discussions with the Deputy Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and finance secretary to ensure full disbursement of funds.
The association also directed engineering, pharmacy, BEd, degree, MBA, MCA, law, architecture, nursing and paramedical colleges to submit updated arrear details for 2021–22 to 2024–25 to both the Fathi headquarters and the state government. “Accurate data will help us push for complete payment of pending dues,” the statement said.
FATHI expressed concern that only about half of the 2023–24 dues had been cleared before Dasara, leaving institutions struggling with operational costs. The federation demanded that arrears from all academic years — 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023-24 — be cleared in full to ensure the financial stability of private higher education institutions.
All member colleges have been asked to submit letters of support for the resolution on official letterheads before October 23, reaffirming a collective stand before the government.
