Students from Scheduled Castes and other disadvantaged communities in Telangana who received government scholarships to study at various colleges are currently facing a challenging situation. Despite completing their degrees, some colleges have refused to release their documents because the government has not provided the scholarship funds to pay for their college fees. This is preventing these students from applying for jobs or continuing their education, as per a report by The New Indian Express.
B Nagarjuna from Miryalaguda in the Nalgonda district of Telangana stated that he completed his engineering degree at a private college with the help of a government scholarship several years ago. “However, due to non-payment of fees, the college refused to issue my transfer certificate, original marks sheet, and other documents,” he said. “I am unable to apply for a job or study further.”
The college management is demanding fees that the students are unable to pay on their own. Some students have taken out loans to pay for their education, and their parents are now unable to repay the debt.
The Telangana State SC Corporation has been conducting employee training programmes in various fields to empower educated unemployed youth from disadvantaged communities, in accordance with the guidelines of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). However, a recent circular from the Managing Director of the SC Corporation has caused concern among Dalit job seekers. The circular requires all candidates attending the three-month employment training programs to provide their original transfer certificates and other important documents as a guarantee that they will go to their assigned placements after the training.
Some people have criticised the SC Corporation’s request for original documents and have called it a violation of NSDC guidelines. The SC Corporation offers training in various fields at three centres in the Nalgonda district. Each participant will receive INR 22,000 and the training centres will provide food, accommodation, and placement. The centres will provide training to around 70 individuals at each location, with placements available in jobs ranging from Class IV to engineering.
An SC Corporation in the Nalgonda district told TNIE that the demand for original certificates was made because some training centre organisers were accepting fake certificates from ineligible individuals to claim that they were undergoing training. The SC Corporation stated that any complaints or objections regarding the requirement to submit original certificates from eligible individuals will be brought to the attention of higher officials at the State Corporation.
Courtesy: Edex