Testing time for schools, colleges as agitations, strike continue

Education sector has been a major casualty in the ongoing general strike in the Telangana region.

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest centres for education in the country, Hyderabad and its surrounding areas, have seen the closure of colleges, schools, training institutes. The developments are threatening to impact the prospects of youngsters both at competitive exams and employment.

“September-October is the period when companies begin the registrations for campus recruitment and the agitation is the biggest loss for job-seekers,” a senior official of Institute of Public Enterprises (IPE) told

Business Line . A placement session which was in progress was disrupted by the agitators at Hyderabad-based IPE on Monday forcing the recruiters to exit in a jiffy. For those who are in the final year of engineering and other technical courses, the disruption of the first semester would mean delay in academic year.

Narayana and Chaitanya, leading corporate education groups in the State running nearly 100 junior colleges each, have also declared holidays indefinitely.

“We are trying to ensure that the syllabus would be completed and examinations are held as per schedule. But if the situation continues, we have no hope,” said a Director of a Hyderabad-based private engineering colleges group.

There are about 50 engineering colleges in and around Hyderabad besides many reputed management education institutions including Icfai, Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) and Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies.

Hyderabad is also the second major hub of training for Civil Services Examination in the country after New Delhi. As many institutes could not run classes, those who are appearing for the Civil Services (Mains) examinations from October 20 are also affected.

Emboldened by an assurance from the Government on Tuesday that strict action would be taken on those who force closure of schools, some private schools began functioning, of course, by locking the doors from outside.

But parents are still worried. “My daughter's college has made it clear that after it reopens, there will be no Sundays or other holidays, except Diwali and Christmas till the end of the academic year. Can the children suddenly cope up with the grind that will inevitably follow the resuming of classes?” asks Ms Seema Mitra, whose daughter is a student of Sri Chaitanya Jr College.