Hyderabad: Kamala Nehru Polytechnic will convert into engineering college

Hyderabad: The Kamala Nehru Polytechnic for Women (KNPW), staring at closure due to lack offunds, will now be running four diploma courses in self-finance mode even if the aided teachers are not sanctioned. Assessing the present conditions, the general body of the Exhibition Society decided to start all women engineering college with modern courses having Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and electronics, along with the self-finance diploma courses, as as to utilize the college infrastructure.

Society secretary Dhiraj Kumar Jaiswal said due to a few staff members misinformation was being spread that the college is closing as they are transferring to the other districts. Pointing out the issues faced by the institution, he said KNPW had submitted 16 representations to the Commissioner of Technical Education (CTE) office requesting to restore the teaching staff to continue the aided diploma courses. However, if the government does not provide the staff, it will be difficult for them to run aided course.

"We receive Rs 1,300 a year from each student. Hence, the monthly income of the college is less than Rs 1 lakh, but the expenditure is more than Rs 8 lakh. If the situation persists the college cannot pay salaries of unaided staff and electricity charges," said Jaiswal.

To cope with the situation, the government had sanctioned 39 contract lecturers for the last 10 years, but in March 2020, the CTE discontinued the contract lecturers. The college has requested the government to restore the same teaching staff to continue the aided diploma courses, to function the college smoothly for 2020-21 and also to give admission to students, as usual, this year.

Meanwhile, the alumni questioned when KNPW name was missing from the list of State's polytechnic colleges ahead of the Polytechnic Common Entrance Test (Polycet-2021), how it is not yet closed. They pointed out that the funds generated by the society should be used to run the college, as they use the same fund for other colleges under it.

Highlighting the NOC issued by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Swati, an alumni of KNPW, said that the society has resolved for conversion of the existing polytechnic into a self-financed engineering college on the premises. But the government has clearly mentioned that the land given by the government was only for the polytechnic. She also pointed out the governing body had Received a NOC to the State Board of Technical Education and Training for progressive closure of seven aided diploma courses from 2021-22. "The aided courses only contain computer science and the rest is removed. And, the college says that they are upgrading it, not converting," she added.

The All-India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO), PDSO, and other organizations, along with the alumni, questioned if the government could provide Rs 7 crore to engineering colleges with reimbursement to students why it cannot contribute Rs.60 lakh to save the polytechnic college. They alleged that the governing body wants to privatize the college.