Hyderabad, Aug 2 (IANS): Amid a continuing row with Andhra Pradesh over admissions to professional courses, the Telangana government Saturday constituted the Telangana State Council for Higher Education (TSCHE).
The government issued an order adapting the Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE) Act, 1988. It argued that under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, it is empowered to make adaptations and modifications of any law made in united Andhra Pradesh.
The order issued by the department of higher education has appointed the vice chancellors of Osmania University, Kakatiya University, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Telangana University, Mahatma Gandhi University, Palamuru University and Satavahana University as council members.
The formation of the council is to pre-empt any move by APSCHE to admit students to engineering colleges in Telangana.
The APSCHE has already issued notification for admissions to engineering colleges in both the states and announced verification of certificates from Aug 7. However, the Telangana government has asked students in Telangana to ignore the same.
APSCHE argues that it is a competent authority to conduct admissions in both the states but the Telangana government has made it clear it is not bound by APSCHE's orders.
The newly created state has already filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking time till October end to complete the process of admissions in engineering and medical colleges. The matter is to come up for hearing Monday.
The Telangana government has sought more time on the ground that it lacked staff to ascertain the antecedents of the students, including their nativity. It has refused to reimburse the fee of students whose parents were not residents of Telangana Nov 1, 1956, the day when it was merged with the then Andhra state to form Andhra Pradesh.
Telangana has also rejected the offer of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to pay 58 percent fees of students from Andhra Pradesh studying in Hyderabad. His Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao made it clear that Telangana will extend financial assistance to only Telangana students.