'No shortcuts,' Telangana social welfare institutions caution parents; warn of agents promising admissions

HYDERABAD: The Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS) has issued a public advisory warning against fraudulent middlemen who are falsely claiming to secure admissions into Gurukul schools in exchange for money or political recommendations.According to officials, these unauthorised agents are targeting families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, offering false assurances of guaranteed admission. TOI spoke to a group of parents who raised complaints about such irregularities. Their representative, S Ramalingam, said, "During the admission process, several seats remain in limbo because some qualified students delay joining until the final deadline. It's during this window that various kinds of manipulation emerge. Several parents lost money, but many hesitate to come forward due to the sensitive nature of the issue. We are working to expose these incidents and ensure that only meritorious students are admitted."Meanwhile, the TGSWREIS reiterated that its admission process is entirely merit-based, digital, and transparent. In a bid to strengthen transparency, the society has published the full merit list along with individual marks on its website. Applicants are also notified through SMS and voice messages sent to their registered mobile numbers. "Until last year, students only had to declare their caste and income categories at the time of application, while the actual certificates were submitted after selection. This allowed room for manipulation," a senior TGSWREIS official said. "This year, we made it mandatory to upload valid certificates during the application process itself. That closed many loopholes, which may be why some are now attempting fraudulent routes."He further said that in previous years, there were several complaints of seats being influenced by intermediaries or through monetary deals. In response, TGSWREIS implemented reforms in 2024 to ensure that deserving students from the most marginalised and low-income backgrounds have equal opportunity.