Soon after laying the foundation stone for the Rs18.75-crore boy's hostel at Nizam College, here on Saturday, IT minister K.T. Rama Rao recalled the ‘good old days’ when he was a student there from 1993 to 1996.
Taking a dig at former chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, alumni, Rama Rao said "Kiran Kumar Reddy neither gave a single rupee to Telangana nor to Nizam College. Whereas responding to a long-felt demand and need, we came up with hostel accommodation for girls. This is especially beneficial to girls coming for pursuing their graduation dreams from rural areas."
Rama Rao said that in order to upgrade Osmania University, the government had granted an additional Rs 40.75 crores as an HMDA initiative, which is apart from funds allocated to the education department.
He praised OU Vice Chancellor, Dandeboina Ravinder "for doing wonderfully well in taking forward the institution." He appreciated the move to set up
‘Osmania TV’ with Telangana TSAT.
Education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, said "There have been many positive changes in the education sector. Enrollment of girls has increased due to the government's developmental programmes for education. Gurukula educational institutions are helping girls to pursue their higher education aspirations." She said government schools in the state had up to 70 per cent girl students.
Later, contract assistant professors met Rama Rao and submitted a representation seeking regularisation of their jobs. According to one of them, Dr Ch. Parandhamulu, "We urged the minister to bring to the notice of the Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao the need to start the regularisation process soon,"
Ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav and Mohammad Mahmood Ali, OU registrar P. Lakshminarayana, and Nizam College Principal B. Bhima were present.