CityLightBuzz: Hyderabad, August 2026: Former MP B. Vinod Kumar and BRS leaders have extended their support to the ongoing agitation by polytechnic students against Government Order (GO) No. 97, demanding its immediate withdrawal.
Addressing a press conference, B. Vinod Kumar said the government issued GO 97 on August 16, and polytechnic students have been protesting for the past several days against the proposal to bring polytechnic colleges under the Skill University framework.
He said the BRS had examined the concerns raised by students and concluded that their demands were justified. According to Vinod Kumar, various government orders and policy decisions have created confusion and apprehension among polytechnic students, particularly those from economically weaker and middle-class families.
Vinod Kumar questioned the move to bring the existing polytechnic education system under the Skill University, stating that the Skill University Act and GO 97 need to be examined carefully for possible inconsistencies. He also raised concerns about the recognition and regulatory framework of the Skill University.
He clarified that the BRS was not opposed to the establishment of a Skill University, but maintained that it could be established while continuing the existing polytechnic education system under the State Board of Technical Education.
“The existing polytechnic system should continue as it is. The Skill University can function alongside it without creating uncertainty among students,” Vinod Kumar said.
He urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to conduct an immediate review of GO 97 with senior officials and withdraw the order. He also demanded that the government continue the polytechnic system under the provisions of the existing education framework and strengthen opportunities for polytechnic students to pursue engineering education through ECET.
Vinod Kumar also questioned comments attributed to former bureaucrat Akunuuri Murali regarding polytechnic education and said decisions affecting thousands of students should be taken only after proper consultation.
BRSV Announces Further Agitation
BRSV President Gellu Srinivas Yadav said the organisation would intensify its campaign against GO 97. He questioned how polytechnic education could be brought under a Skill University that, according to the BRSV, does not currently have AICTE recognition for the proposed framework.
Gellu Srinivas Yadav announced that polytechnic students would undertake a letter campaign to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on August 26, urging him to withdraw GO 97. On August 31, BRSV leaders and students will submit representations to district Collectors across Telangana seeking cancellation of the order.
He said the BRSV would continue its fight until the concerns of polytechnic students are addressed.
Several polytechnic students who participated in the press conference appealed to the Congress government not to conduct experiments with the existing education system. They demanded that the current system be continued and recalled that a similar move in Andhra Pradesh was reportedly withdrawn after concerns were raised.
The students warned that they would intensify their agitation if the government failed to withdraw GO 97, stating that any move that could make engineering education less accessible to students from economically weaker backgrounds would be strongly opposed.
