Akbaruddin Owaisi warns of protests if fee reimbursement dues remain unpaid

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) floor leader and Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi has warned the Congress government over the issue of clearing fee arrears.

He said if the fee reimbursement dues for pre-matric and post-matric students are not cleared soon, the MIM party would stage protests in the streets to put pressure on the government.

Raising the issue of fee reimbursement dues for BC, SC, ST, and Minority students in the Assembly on Tuesday, Owaisi informed the House that the previous government had cleared the dues from the time of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh state. He requested the ruling government to clear the fee arrears that accumulated during the previous government’s term.

He further said that every year, 7 lakh students enroll in the fee reimbursement scheme, and the arrears have been withheld for the last four years. He added that not only are 20 lakh students suffering, but also four lakh teaching staff have gone months without being paid their salaries. He also said that scores of students were unable to obtain their certificates after completing their courses due to the fee arrears issue.

The MIM leader pointed out that the government directs the college management to release certificates to students who have completed their education and if they follow the directive then where will colleges recover the pending dues from?

Many students have been unable to obtain their certificates after completing their courses, making it difficult for them to secure seats in higher education programs, apply for jobs, or pursue education abroad.

Owaisi added that this burning issue concerns the future of lakhs of students, and if the government fails to alleviate their burden, his party will take to the streets to demand justice for them.

On Monday, the MIM leader had raised the issue of the detention policy of Osmania University during the Question Hour in the House. The state government had agreed in-principle to relax the detention of engineering students for the current academic year 2024-25.