Hyderabad – Prominent religious scholars, community leaders, and representatives from Telangana’s Muslim community have raised an alarm over the non-release of post-matric scholarships under the Reimbursement of Tuition Fee (RTF) scheme, plunging minority students into financial distress and jeopardizing their academic and career prospects.

In a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Minister for Minorities Welfare Adluri Laxman Kumar, the signatories urged immediate intervention to address this critical issue affecting lakhs of students pursuing higher education in Telangana.

RTI reveals failure in utilization and allocation of funds

The memorandum highlights a systemic failure in disbursing scholarships, with only a fraction of allocated funds being utilized over the past three years. According to data obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the Minorities Welfare Department, Telangana, only Rs. 41.86 crore out of the Rs. 300 crore allocated for the RTF scheme in 2024-25 had been spent as of January 2025. Similarly, in 2023-24, Rs. 120.30 crore out of Rs. 236 crore was utilized. The approval rates for scholarship applications are equally concerning: in 2024-25, none of the 1.21 lakh applications were approved; in 2023-24, only 40 out of 1.54 lakh applications were approved; and in 2022-23, a mere 7,927 out of 1.63 lakh applications received approval.

This delay in fund disbursement has caused severe financial strain for students, many of whom rely on these scholarships to continue their education. The crisis has also impacted minority colleges, which are struggling to maintain academic standards due to financial constraints. The signatories, including prominent figures such as Moulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani (President, All India Muslim Personal Law Board) and Dr. M Khalid Mubashir uz Zafar (President, IIH Telangana), emphasized that the government’s inaction contradicts its claims of promoting higher education.

The memorandum also pointed out unfulfilled promises from the Congress party’s manifesto, which included increasing scholarship amounts, clearing pending arrears under the RTF scheme, and introducing the Abdul Kalam Taufa-e-Taaleem Scheme to provide financial assistance of up to Rs. 5 lakh for minority youth completing M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees, along with other incentives for post-graduation, graduation, intermediate, and 10th-grade students. However, these commitments remain unimplemented, leaving students feeling neglected.

The community leaders have called for immediate action, including:

1. Issuing orders to release and clear pending scholarship funds.

2. Streamlining the approval process and providing reasons for application rejections.

3. Enhancing transparency in the scholarship process and establishing a grievance redressal system to address issues such as colleges detaining students’ original educational certificates.

4. Forming state and district-level committees, involving community leaders, NGOs, student organizations, and government officials, to monitor the implementation of the scholarship scheme.

The memorandum, signed by notable figures such as Moulana Mufti Ghayasuddin Rahmani (President, Jamiat e Ulama TG & AP) Dr. Syed Rizwan Pasha Quadri (President, Quran Academy) and many others, highlight the urgency of restoring hope among minority students and fulfilling the government’s commitment to their socio-economic empowerment.

The issue has sparked widespread concern, with community leaders warning that continued neglect could jeopardize the educational aspirations of Telangana’s minority youth and hinder the state’s progress toward inclusive development.