HYDERABAD: The government-run District Institute Of Education & Training (DIET) at Neredmet is facing an existential crisis. It has been excluded from the web counselling options for the two-year diploma course in elementary education (D.El.Ed) and pre-school education (D.P.S.E) for 2024-25.
The institute started in 1964, has a total capacity of 300 candidates, with 150 in first and second year each in three languages, English, Urdu and Telugu. It has 50 seats in each language and yet it has not been given as one of the options in the first phase of the web counselling.
The DEECET-2024 was conducted on July 10 for admission to the diploma courses in the government as well as private DIET and the results were declared on July 24. Teaching faculty at the institute said that candidates will be forced to choose the institute’s options out of the city and the nodal training institutes.
Kasturi Ravinder, general secretary, State Guest Lecturers Association, told TNIE: “The government has excluded the DIET Neredmet from the first round of counselling, thus forcing the students from the city to choose the colleges outside the city for admission. In addition, the total intake of the 10 DIET colleges is 1,500, with 150 in each institute. However, this year, 150 seats will be reduced, in case DIET Neredmet is not allowed in the next counselling rounds.
Moreover, Hyderabad being the state capital, students from minority, local BC, SC, ST communities and from other districts rely on the DIET, Hyderabad, for better educational opportunities. Now, they will have to go to other districts, which will add to their challenges. We have been urging the government to get the institute running for the 2024 session, and several representations have been made to the department. There has been no success so far”.
This situation has arisen as the National Council for Technical Education (NCTE) has refused affiliation to the institute, according to senior officials in the school education department.
It is to be noted that Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar had instructed the education department to take action to obtain the NCTE affiliation for the institute. However, the affiliation was not obtained as the institute could not clear the council inspection. Faculty members said that the institute was allotted a new building facility in Bolarum earlier this year.
It is also to be noted that all the 10 DIETS in the state, including the one in Hyderabad, were sanctioned Rs 15 crore each by the Centre for the academic session 2023-28 for upgrading them into DIET of Excellence.
E V Narasimha Reddy, commissioner & director, School education department, speaking to TNIE, said, “ The NCTE approval for affiliation could not be obtained for DIET Neredmet for 2024-25 due to lack of faculty. We will be filing the revision petition for the 2025-26 session for the institute in December by onboarding faculty members on deputation and guest faculty members, till the time we get the regular lecturers through the PSC recruitment.
“As far as the new (Bolarum) and old (Neredmet) campuses are concerned, we are open to functioning from both the sites based on the NCTE requirements. For now we have submitted names of four institutes to receive funds from the Centre and other institutes,” he said.
The TNIE has found that the issue has further exacerbated as none of the private colleges from Hyderabad was listed in the first round of counselling, leaving the candidates to their own fate.
A Rahul, a candidate from Tolichowki, who opted for training in English for the D.El.Ed, told TNIE, “This is very bizarre. I could not find any options in Hyderabad in the first round of counselling either in the government or private colleges. As I was not left with any options, I chose a college in Sangareddy, which is 50 km from my place. I am eagerly waiting for the second round list so that I can choose the nearest college”.
While another candidate from Kacheguda, Neha Fatima said that she had paid the fee for the first round of counselling but did not choose any college as none from the city was listed and travelling out of the city was not an option. “We can only hope that colleges from Hyderabad are listed in the second or third round else, I will have to reappear for the entrance exam next year,” Fatima said.
Narasimha Reddy also agreed that many private colleges did not receive approval for conducting the course for this session due to some documentation issues.
However, on the issue of Hyderabad colleges not being listed in the first phase of the web counselling, Narasimha Reddy said, “ We will look into the issue and make the colleges from Hyderabad available for the next sessions so that candidates, especially females, can join the teaching training without any further inconvenience.”