After reports of Telangana government seeking admission of only ‘unmarried’ women in the social welfare residential women’s degree colleges in the state emerges and attracted huge criticism for the administration, the government has now issued a clarification saying that ‘there is no bar on married women from applying.’ Read the letter below:
A notice by the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) that invites applications for admissions into the residential degree colleges specifically reads, “The TSWREIS invites applications from women (unmarried) candidates for admission into BA/B.Com/B.Sc 1st year degree courses for the academic year 2017-18.”
It has clearly made clear that no married women are eligible. “The intention to ensure that other girls in the residential degree colleges do not get distracted because there is every possibility of husbands visiting their wives weekly once or in a fortnight. We do not want any kind of distraction among students,” TSWREIS content manager B Venkat Raju told TOI.
Bizarrely, the regulation has been in position for a year now. Around 4,000 such women are already studying in these hostels and will pass to the second year in the next academic year.
Significantly, there are 23 residential degree colleges for women. Each has an intake capacity of 280 students yearly. From education to food, the whole thing is provided free of cost to these students. While 75 per cent seats are reserved for SCs, the remaining 25 per cent are for STs/BCs and general category.
The aim of establishing the residential degree colleges for women in government division was to end the cycle of child marriages. “We don’t encourage married women but at the same time won’t prevent them if they approach us for admission. Our intention is neither to deny nor hurt any one’s feelings,” said Society secretary, Dr R S Praveen Kumar to TOI.
