Uncertainty looms large over tribal varsity in Mulugu

Mulugu: With the new academic year fast approaching, the uncertainty surrounding the commencement of classes in the proposed Tribal University near Mulugu is yet to be cleared by the Central government.

Even though it's been more than five years since the promise for establishing a Tribal University in Telangana was made as part of AP Reorganisation Act-2014, the Centre took its own time before it finally gave its nod by allocating Rs 10 crore in 2017-18 budget.

Thereafter, the inordinate delay in acquiring land held back the progress of varsity.

Against this backdrop, the State government had identified 483 acres near Jakaram village adjacent to district headquarters Mulugu. This apart, the government came forward to handover Youth Training Centre (YTC) to use it as makeshift administrative office and also to run classes.

Even though a Central team led by R Subrahmanyam, the Secretary of Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, inspected the proposed site for the varsity in last December and made it clear that land identified for establishing tribal varsity was ideal.

The varsity can commence its operations from YTC from the 2019-20 academic year, the Central team opined. Following which, the government entrusted the responsibility of tribal varsity affairs such as admissions and classes with the Hyderabad Central University (HCU). Against this backdrop, the HCU released its admission notification (2019-20) in March 30, but it didn't mention anything about the admissions to the proposed tribal university in Mulugu.

The development comes in as a huge shock for the tribal youth, who were expecting admissions to undergraduate courses – BCA, BA (Hotel Management) and BBA (Logistics), postgraduate courses - MCA, Master in Tribal Culture (Folklore) and MBA (Marketing - Packaging). The initial intake for each course is said to be 30 seats.

According to sources, the Centre didn't give any directions to the HCU to initiate admission process for the tribal varsity.

Meanwhile, it's said that the Centre is yet to introduce a bill in the Parliament for the establishment of tribal varsity in Mulugu, which is mandatory.

With the nation is in the middle of general elections, it's difficult for the Ministry of Human Resource Development to lay its focus on the tribal varsity until the new government at the Centre takes reins of administration.