An ordinance brought by the government paved the way for five private universities to offer courses from the ensuing academic year in Telangana.
A Cabinet Sub Committee, after going through 13 applications it had received, short-listed and recommended giving the private varsity status to some institutions of which four universities are on the outskirts of Hyderabad and one is in Warangal.
They include Mahindra University (earlier Mahindra Ecoele), Woxen University (earlier Woxen Business School), Malla Reddy University (include some colleges from the Malla Reddy group of institutions), Anurag University (some colleges under Anurag group of institutions) and SR University in Warangal (including colleges under SR group).
These universities have been established under the Telangana State Private Universities (Establishment and Regulation) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The ordinance was issued as the Assembly was not in session. Earlier, the government had brought the Telangana State Private University (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2018, paving the way for establishment of private universities.
Four more institutions were in the list with the Cabinet Sub Committee but they have not been granted the private status and officials said they may be considered at a later date.
Interestingly, the two groups — Malla Reddy and Anurag group owned by Labour Minister M. Malla Reddy and Rythu Bandhu Samiti chairman Palla Rajeshwar Reddy respectively — will not bring all their institutions under the private university. They will retain their existing colleges under the JNTU Hyderabad given the prestige and brand name attached to that university.
Mr. Malla Reddy has brought two colleges under the new university while retaining all others under JNTUH. Mr. Rajeshwar Reddy will, however, prefer to offer additional courses in one or two institutions oin the same campus under the private university wings. SR institutions has been creating a separate identity for long, forging an association with foreign institutions.
Mahindra University will continue its engineering programmes of Mahindra Ecoele under the new brand and may offer some additional courses. It is not yet clear whether Woxsen School of Business will continue with just business management programmes or include other streams in the first year itself.
