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The stalemate over fee reimbursement in Telangana grew further on Wednesday, with the Telangana Private Degree and PG Colleges Management Association refusing to meet Commissioner of Technical Education Dr. Devasena to discuss pending dues. Though the Commissioner invited management for a discussion to resolve the increasing crisis, the college managements remained firm on their stand and demanded the immediate release of at least 50% of the pending reimbursement before dialogue could be resumed.

This financial crisis has been further aggravated by the state government, which did not honour the earlier assurance of releasing the funds before Diwali. “We received a call from the commissioner on Wednesday evening inviting us for talks, but we decided not to meet her until 50 per cent of the pending reimbursement amount is released. Our agitation will continue,” said Dr. Bojja Suryanarayana Reddy, President of Telangana Private Degree and PG Colleges Management Association and member of FATHI.

The state had earlier assured that ₹1,200 crore would be disbursed in advance ahead of the beginning of the festive season to pay the backlog amount due to the private colleges. However, only ₹300 crore has so far been released by the state while ₹900 crores are in arrears. The financial burden due to this has driven many colleges to the edge, forcing indefinite closure of several private degree and postgraduate colleges across Telangana.

The managements of colleges say that without substantial reimbursement, they cannot pay faculty salaries, keep the infrastructure running or continue with student services. Protracted delay, they say, has jeopardised academic operations and kept thousands of teaching and non-teaching staff in penury.

Students and parents demand that the government release funds to continue education as soon as the impasse intensifies and academic activities are disrupted. According to the group, the issue would worsen if the government did not act swiftly since the agitation would not stop until some financial relief was given.

The MMU is an umbrella body of different Muslim religious organisations in J&K. It expressed serious concern over a recent government directive on 'Vande Mataram' recitation in schools, terming it a "coercive directive" by the Department of Culture of the Union Territory aimed to celebrate the 150th year of the national song through music and cultural programs.

The MMU argued that the official order is coercive since it legally forces both Muslim students and institutions to act against their religious principles.

"The MMU, headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, expresses serious concern over the recent directive issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Government's Department of Culture instructing schools across the region to commemorate the 150th year of Vande Mataram through organised musical and cultural programs ensuring participation of all students and staff," the amalgam said in a statement in Srinagar.

The MMU asserted that 'Vande Mataram' cannot be recited or sung by Muslims.

According to the circular issued by the Centre, schools across different states were directed to hold special assemblies between October 31 and November 7, 2025 during which the students and teachers will sing the national song. However, voices of objection to the government order has come from Jammu and Kashmir.

"Singing or reciting Vande Mataram is un-Islamic as it contains expressions of devotion, which essentially militate against the fundamental Islamic belief in the absolute Oneness of Allah (Tawheed)," Mirwaiz's office said in a tweet.

The statement further said, "Islam does not allow any act that involves worship or reverence directed to anyone or anything other than the Creator."

As the MMU sees it, though Muslims should love and serve their country, they must do this by positive contributions to society, not by actions that they believe are in conflict with their faith.

MMU explained that this, in itself, is a form of compulsion, which is not right. "Forcing Muslim students or institutions to participate in activities against their faith is both unfair and not acceptable," it further added.

The group characterized the directive as an attempt to impose ideology from outside the community.

The order appears to be "a conscious attempt at imposition of RSS-driven Hindutva ideology" through the celebration of a culture in a Muslim-dominated region, rather than any sincere gesture of unity and respect for diversity, said the statement.

"The MMU urged the administration, both headed by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, to immediately withdraw such a 'coercive directive which has caused anguish to all Muslims' and ensure that no student or institution is compelled to act against their religious beliefs," added the statement from Mirwaiz's office.

The order came after the government asked the education department to hold scheduled musical activities and functions in schools across Jammu and Kashmir to mark the occasion.

The MMU is considered influential in the region because it brings together religious leaders on a common platform concerning major issues.

They said their opposition was based on religious issues only and demanded respect for religious freedom and for all communities.

The state administration has not made any official response to the objections or request for withdrawal by the MMU.

The statement from MMU comes in light of wider debates throughout the region on the intersection between cultural dictates and religious practice in public institutions. It calls upon the government to not turn a blind eye to the sensibilities of all religious groups while issuing such instructions in the future and to respect diversity as a means of promoting unity.

Thousands of students face disruption as 2,000 Telangana colleges boycott examinations and shut down over the government's failure to release Rs 10,000 crore pending fee reimbursements.

The indefinite strike by all the private professional colleges in Telangana has forced the closure of about 2,000 institutions covering engineering, pharmacy, MBA, and degree colleges.

The move, initiated by the Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions, has left thousands of students with no classes while large-scale uncertainty is also hovering over ongoing examinations.

The protest is against the delay by the government in releasing close to Rs 10,000 crore pending dues under the Reimbursement of Tuition Fee and Maintenance Fee schemes to students belonging to economically weaker sections.

The immediate cause for the strike was the failure of the state to meet the November 1 deadline to release Rs 900 crore. College managements had then alleged that the government had earlier promised to give Rs 1,200 crore before Diwali, but released only Rs 300 crore.

BOYCOTT OF SEMESTER EXAMS WIDENS

Nearly 2,000 colleges boycotted semester-II examinations on Tuesday, a day after they closed their gates.

As per the information available at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, 52 affiliated pharmacy colleges participated in the boycott, while only nine government colleges conducted the tests as per schedule.

However, the turnout remained very low as only 12 percent of the students appeared.

Unfazed by the boycott, JNTUH officials announced that the examinations would be conducted as per schedule, but FATHI said it would persist in the strike and boycott of the examination, until the government released at least 50 percent of the pending dues and came out with a clear roadmap for settling the rest.

GOVERNMENT FORMS 15-MEMBER PANEL

It includes senior officials, education authorities and academics, including Professor Kancha Ilaiah and Professor Kodandaram, in addition to three representatives from FATHI. The committee shall develop a model of 'Trust Bank' that manages the funds transparently and in a sustainable manner and shall submit the report within three months. PROTESTS TO CONTINUE Fathi said the strike would be called off only when the government immediately releases at least Rs 5,000 crore. Announcing mass protests, including a rally at LB Stadium on November 8 and a 'Long March' to the State Secretariat on November 11, the federation claimed lakhs of students and college staff would participate in them. The student unions by and large supported the protest, saying with the delay in reimbursements, the staff salaries remained unpaid and even certificates of the students were withheld

The Application for Human Rights Summit 2026 in Canada is now open. The Forum will be held at University of British Columbia, Canada. All Candidates and leaders from across the globe are eligible to apply. Program Duration is 4 Days and will be from 21-24 May 2026. The forum is being sponsored fully and the subject matter involves Human Rights, Freedom of Speech, and education as your foundation of freedom, equality, and the advancement of the world. The Summit will accept candidates from any study background. IELTS/TOEFL is not required in order to attend the event. Information About Human Rights Summit 2026 in Canada

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BTS member Jimin once again proved that he is not only a world music phenomenon but also a socially aware philanthropist. The artist recently donated 100 million KRW (around Rs 65 lakh or 75,000 USD) to the Jeonbuk Provincial Office of Education and this money will be invested in the education welfare of the kids there.

On September 25th, Jeonbuk education office confirmed to Dispatch that Jimin's representatives first notified them of his will in July. Actively, the process of donation began by Jimin's father with a call to the provincial office and afterwards verification of the transfer of the funds into the Love Scholarship Foundation.

The donation will be used to issue scholarships to elementary, middle, high, and special school students in North Jeolla Province. The scholarships will be issued to talented children as well as needy children, thereby making the education accessible and encouraging to all the children.

This is not a solo effort. Since 2019, Jimin has been actively donating to educational offices in South Korea. He has already donated 100 million KRW to Busan, Jeonnam, Gangwon, Chungbuk, and Gyeongnam education offices. Including Jeonbuk, this is his sixth mega donation to provincial education offices.

Apart from education, Jimin has also donated to other causes. He donated over 100 million KRW to the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation and became its sole Green Noble Club of high-value donors. He also donated to the Army's Patriotism and Comradeship Fund, and donated to help after the Turkey-Syria earthquake.

Jimin's gesture of charity is reflective of a larger culture of BTS. Other members too have given donations to causes and charities that they are passionate about, cementing their position as idols who not only shape the music landscape but through positive social work as well.

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