Colleges denies to give certificates for fee reimbursement due

The lackadaisical attitude of government towards fee reimbursement is likely to rob thousands of students of their higher education and job opportunities. With fee reimbursement dues for B Tech academic year 2018 pending, private engineering colleges affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) are not issuing certificates to students who have already graduated. The students are demanding that the government release the fee reimbursement dues.

N Santosh Kumar, a BTech graduate from a private engineering college at Jangaon, has been waiting for three months now for his marksheet and transfer certificate to be released by the college management. He said the college managements have not been issuing marksheets and transfer certificates on grounds of having not received fee reimbursement from the State government.

The students have to clear fee dues of up to Rs 35,000 per year. “I am a graduate but I cannot apply for a job yet?” said Santosh, whose father works as a private employee.

Another B Tech graduate, Y Bhargava, from a private engineering college said that by holding the certificates, the college managements are preventing students from pursuing higher education.

“After securing 70 per cent in the final exams, I was qualified for GRE and TOEFL to do Masters abroad, but now without certificates I am scared of losing an opportunity.”

“My education loan too was sanctioned and now I am unable to go,” Bhargava said. When asked how could he get a bank loan sanctioned without certificates, he said college management had issued a photocopy of marksheet and are refusing to give away original marksheets and transfer certificates.

The amounts sanctioned towards one’s fee reimbursement can be checked on e-pass website telanganaepass.cgg.gov.in after entering candidate’s fee reimbursement application details.

When contacted, Dr. S Chandra Sekhar Reddy, Principal of Christu Jyothi Institute of Technology and Science college in Jangaon district, admitted that the college has been issuing only photocopies of marksheet and holding back transfer certificates.

“Not only my college, all Telangana state engineering colleges managements are holding back students certificates. If students’ fee reimbursement dues are not released from government, how can we run out colleges?” said Reddy, adding, “once we get final report of released dues from the government, we will issue the certificates to students.”

Meanwhile, N Yadaiah JNTU Registrar said the varsity has already issued a letter to engineering colleges management stating they have no right to hold the student’s certificates. He said, “Students have right to approach human rights commission against college managements based on letters we have issued.” According to him, after receiving specific complaints from certain students, the varsity has ensured certificates were issued.