Education outlay shot up to Rs 29,611 crore: Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy

Telangana Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy said due to the State government's transformative measures, Telangana's Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of 36.2 percent surpassed the national GER of 27.3 percent in the last nine years.

Hyderabad: Education Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy on Friday rubbished the allegations of budget cuts on the education sector in the State. On the contrary, she stated that the State government has significantly increased the allocations where the budget was enhanced from Rs 9,518 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 29,611 crore, with a substantial focus on human resource development.

A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) indicated a total expenditure of Rs 96,000 crore on education between 2014 and 2020, she added. The Minister said due to the State government’s transformative measures, Telangana‘s Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of 36.2 percent surpassed the national GER of 27.3 percent in the last nine years.

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Replying to a discussion on the education sector in the Assembly on Friday, Sabitha Indra Reddy said the establishment of KG to PG quality education through Gurukuls has been a crucial milestone in empowering economically disadvantaged students. The education sector has been further fortified with the introduction of Mana Ooru – Mana Badi, English medium, Gurukuls, Model schools, and Kasturba schools. The number of Gurukuls has increased from 682 to 1,517, accommodating an impressive 7.44 lakh students compared to 1.94 lakh students before the State formation.

The fund allocation for Gurukuls has seen a significant increase from Rs 973 crore in 2014 to Rs 4,049 crore in 2023. Further, the number of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) has risen from 391 to 495, catering to the educational needs of over 8.73 lakh students in Gurukuls, KGBVs, and model schools.

Further, the State has facilitated overseas scholarships to enable poor students to study abroad, disbursing over Rs 1,000 crore to 5,653 students at Rs 20 lakh each. Additionally, fee reimbursement and scholarships have been provided to students at various levels, totaling substantial support for their educational pursuits.