Rajamahendravaram: Cash-strapped Kandukuri institutions in deep waters

Rajamahendravaram: Sri Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu educational institutions managed by the Hitakarini Samajam under the Endowments department have been in deep crisis for the last two years.

During TDP government, it was proposed to merge all the seven educational institutions into Adikavi Nannaya University (AKNU).

In 2018, then Minister for Higher Education Ghanta Srinivas Rao along with AKNU's former vice-chancellor Prof Murru Mutyala Naidu and other elected representatives conducted a meeting in SKR College for Women and assured completion of the process as the government had also given its nod in this regard. But the file was kept in cold storage as the vice-chancellor informed the government that the merger would mount financial burden on the university.

About 300 teaching staff and non-teaching staff are working in the seven educational institutions, with a lot of difference of salaries between aided and unaided staff.

Nearly 5,000 students are studying these institutions including two aided degree colleges, SKVT College and SKR College for Women, two aided high schools, SKVT English Medium and Telugu Medium High Schools, one aided junior college, SKVT Junior College, one unaided MBA college and one unaided D Ed college.

Kandukuri Veeresalingam Panthulu had started Hitakarini Samjam in 1902 and under it started several other educational institutions. Later, in 1988, TDP government brought Hitakarini Samajam under the Endowments Department.

The educational institutions are facing fund crunch and unaided staff is facing problem to get salaries and it became a difficult task to manage the institutions.

AP Unaided Colleges Temporary Lecturers Association state general secretary Dr PVB Sanjeeva Rao said Veeresalingam Panthulu started the institutions to provide education to all, mainly to women. Merging of the educational institutions with AKNU or the government is the need of the hour, he added.

Representations in this regard were submitted to the government, AKNU and other elected representatives, but in vain. The unaided teaching and non-teaching staff with meagre salaries have been facing many problems.

The educational institutions will flourish, if AKNU takes over them and it will help the university to run city campus also, he averred. Students and staff are eagerly waiting in this regard, he said.