Polytechnic protests meet SHAKTI silence
Students across Telangana hit the streets over GO 97 and the SHAKTI–YISU rejig. The state says admissions aren’t hit; students want their diplomas and ECET path guaranteed on paper, not in vibes.
Students are seeking written clarity on diploma recognition and ECET access amid the SHAKTI–YISU restructuring.
Polytechnic students and unions held protests in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Mahabubabad this week demanding withdrawal of GO 97 and protection of diploma pathways after the government folded technical education into the SHAKTI–Young India Skills University (YISU) ecosystem. Their worry is simple: keep the diploma’s value, SBTET’s role and ECET lateral entry intact — in writing, not as an assurance.
According to a July 3 report on the order, the Labour department was renamed SHAKTI, YISU was placed under it, and ITIs, Advanced Technology Centres and polytechnic colleges were brought into YISU’s ecosystem. The same report records the government’s line that 2026–27 admissions will not be affected by the “administrative restructuring”. Students aren’t reassured; they want consultations and a clear carve‑out that their three‑year diplomas won’t be diluted or folded into short‑cycle skills tracks.
Demonstrations were reported at Government Polytechnic Ramanthapur, Sangeet X Roads and the Mahabubabad Collectorate, led by student groups including AIDSO and TPJAC. Allegations of rough policing surfaced in Mahabubabad; these remain allegations pending official records. The specific text of GO 97 is not yet accessible publicly — which is precisely the problem the protesters are pointing at.
For a government that renamed a whole department to “Skill Human Capital and Knowledge Training Initiatives”, putting the operative clauses online should not be the hard part.