Set up UoH satellite campus in rural areas to cater to marginalized students: Telangana to Centre

Mr. Kumar wrote to the Union minister after a representation was submitted by the All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA), UoH. He said the socially and educationally-backward communities have been denied access to education for several centuries initially by the caste-based feudal system and also under Nizam rule till Independence.

"Andhra Pradesh was formed based on the linguistic basis against the quill and aspiration of the people of Telangana. However, the right to quality education and balanced development of the then Andhra Pradesh had been consistently ignored by the subsequent governments led by Andhra elite rulers. As a response, the separate statehood for Telangana was started in 1969 and many students had sacrificed their lives in the movement," said Mr. Kumar.

He said that during the movement, a six-point formula ushered in by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and agreed to by both sides, served to dissolve the tension and keep the state united.

He further said that the second point of the Six Point Formula 1973 clearly states that "Institution of uniform arrangements throughout the state enabling adequate preference being given to the local candidates in the matter of admission to educational institutions and establishment of a new Central University at Hyderabad to augment the existing educational facilities should be the basis of the educational policy of the state".

Accordingly, the University of Hyderabad was formed under article 371(E) of the Indian Constitution in 1973. "Justice B.N Srikrishna committee report on separate statehood revealed that educational attainment of districts of Telangana continues to lag behind districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalseema; the fact that literacy levels are lower among the rural, poor and social deprived sections (SC, ST, BC, Muslim minorities and women) in the Telangana region," said Mr. Kumar.

He said the Central government must establish various Central education institutions like IIM, ISSERs, agriculture university, tribal university, and horticulture university in Telangana in order to meet the demands for quality higher education for the students of Telangana.

"Along with this demand, there is an urgent requirement to expand the University of Hyderabad to other parts of the state. The Central government has announced the Institution of Eminence (IoE) status to the university and given Rs. 1,000 crore over five years in order to increase the research output and double the existing strength of the students," Mr. Kumar said requesting the minister to take up the issue with the Central government and ensure the setting up of the satellite UoH campus in Karimnagar or Warangal.