TTIEA urges AICTE to make technical institutions accountable

Hyderabad: Telangana Technical Institutions Employees Association (TTIEA) president Dr V Balakrishna Reddy alleged that the technical institutions in Telangana have been resorting to fraudulent practices by violating the norms in clearing the lockdown pending salaries. In a complaint lodged with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the apex technical education regulator, he said that the association has been receiving complaints from the faculty working in the technical educational institutions in the State that the institutions were compelling the faculty and other staff to give a declaration stating that the management has no kind of financial dues from the time of their joining. Further, they were asked to sign, "either in an empty acquittance form (form for payment of salary in cash) or pre-filled forms as if institutions paid every due/salary," he said.

Further, the institutions were depositing salaries in bank accounts of the faculty and other staff and then collecting back.

He said that the activities of the technical institutions were in violation of the AICTE norms provided in point numbers 8.4 relating to the payment of the salaries and qualifications of the faculty in the Handbook released to the technical institutions for the academic years 2020-21 and 2021-22, he added.

The TTIEA said due to Covid-19, the education environment has become worst. Further, the institutions have been lobbying with the State government politically to pressurise the affiliating universities to put off the physical inspection to take up the Fact-Finding Check (FFC) by the affiliating university, they pointed out.

Against this backdrop, the TTIEA urged the AICTE to announce a procedural strategy that nullifies the attempts of the technical institutions to do away with the accountability, and to deliver justice to the employees of the technical institutions during the difficult times of Covid-19.