HYDERABAD: A simmering dispute between the Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) and the State Board of Technical Education and Training (SBTET) has surfaced during the ongoing degree admissions season. Sources said this has raised concerns over delays in approvals for new academic courses and their impact on students.
The issue came to light after TGCHE chairman Prof V Balakista Reddy reportedly informed Government Adviser K Keshava Rao about growing differences between the academic bodies.
At the centre of the controversy is the alleged delay in granting approvals for innovative undergraduate programmes proposed by universities and colleges under TGCHE. The main contention is that in-charge Commissioner of Collegiate and Technical Education A Sridevasena, who also holds the technical education commissioner post, introduced some of the proposed courses in polytechnic colleges while denying approval for the same courses in degree colleges, sources said.
Speaking to TNIE, Balakista Reddy said academic institutions should focus on helping students rather than creating hurdles through technical procedures. Referring to Section 11 of the Telangana State Council of Higher Education Act, 1988, he said the Council is empowered to revise curricula and update syllabi in line with changing educational needs.
The controversy has intensified amid the ongoing Degree Online Services Telangana (DOST) admissions process. According to TGCHE officials, vice-chancellors have already approved and uploaded new courses, while Boards of Studies cleared the syllabi and inspections of colleges were completed. Reports were also submitted to the Commissionerate of Collegiate Education. However, approvals are allegedly being delayed over procedural objections, despite recommendations from the DOST convener, council officials claimed.
Sources also alleged that students were unable to access some of the newly proposed courses on the DOST portal due to technical glitches and the temporary closure of course listings.
According to TGCHE, the new programmes include courses such as BA in Cybersecurity and Cyber Governance, BBA in Airport, Airline, Airspace and Air Traffic Management, and BBA in Hospital Administration and Health Management, which are being introduced in India at the undergraduate level to improve employability and create better job opportunities.
Responding to the allegations, A Sridevasena told TNIE that the issue was not about opposing new courses but about ensuring mandatory approvals were obtained before introduction.
She said proposals for new courses must first be examined by the Project Monitoring Unit (PMU), headed by the Secretary of Education, to verify whether all statutory clearances had been secured.
Sridevasena stated that BBA and BCA courses in private colleges require prior approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under regulations introduced around three years ago. She alleged that around 15 new courses proposed by TGCHE had been moved forward without securing approvals either from AICTE or from the concerned universities’ Boards of Studies.
Denying allegations of a “cold war”, she maintained that authorities were only implementing procedures approved by the PMU.
Defending the rollout of new programmes in polytechnic institutions, Sridevasena said those courses had received AICTE approval and were developed after consultations with industry experts and institutions, including the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad campus.
Education experts fear that prolonged disagreements between regulatory bodies could create uncertainty for students and delay access to newly designed academic programmes.
CM to review matter today
Sources said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who also holds the Education portfolio, is likely to review the matter on Wednesday.