HYDERABAD: The government’s decision to merge polytechnic education with Young India Skill University (YISU) under the Skill, Human Capital and Knowledge Training Initiatives (SHAKTI), formerly the Labour department, has triggered strong opposition from students and the teaching community, who staged dharnas across the state on Tuesday.
Students from various government polytechnic colleges participated in the protests, demanding that polytechnic colleges continue under the existing technical education system and that the SHAKTI policy be withdrawn.
The protests were organised by several student organisations, including the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) and Telangana Polytechnic Joint Action Committee (TPJAC).
According to the protesters, GO 97, which provides for the merger of polytechnics with YISU, would undermine the autonomy of the State Board of Technical Education and Training (SBTET) and turn diploma education into general labour training. “Three years of our diploma education will go in vain if there is no provision for pursuing engineering education,” they said.