KTR fears closure of 1864 schools by Congress govt in Telangana

The State government was neglecting the education sector as part of its designs for keeping poor and middle-class students away from quality education, he said

Hyderabad: Voicing grave concern over the Congress government’s handling of school education in the State, BRS working president K T Rama Rao on Saturday feared that 1,864 schools may face closure for want of viable student strength.

The State government was neglecting the education sector as part of its designs for keeping poor and middle-class students away from quality education, he said, stating that the government’s plans for closure of schools due to lack of students was an alarming move.

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Emphasizing that the government should be strengthening government schools rather than shutting them down, he highlighted that the number of admissions in government schools had decreased by approximately 2.4 lakh in 2024 compared to the previous year, which he saw as a dangerous sign for the State’s education sector.

Lambasting the State government for failing to address the reasons behind the declining enrolment in government schools, he pointed out that nearly 25,000 teaching positions were lying vacant and needed to be filled immediately. He argued that the government’s inaction had led to schools being closed and teachers being sent to other schools on deputation, depriving many students of government education.

He also raised concerns about the lack of proper infrastructure, poor quality food, and unsafe conditions in schools and welfare hostels. He cited recent incidents in Gurukul schools, where students were exposed to food poisoning and unsafe living conditions, as evidence of the government’s neglect.

He reminded the public of the initiatives undertaken during K Chandrashekhar Rao’s ten-year rule to promote public education. These included the establishment of over a thousand Gurukul schools, the provision of quality food, the introduction of English medium education and significant financial allocations for education. These efforts had led to increased competition for admissions in government schools.

He blamed the current government for not continuing the path laid by Chandrashekhar Rao and questioned why schools should be closed without addressing the underlying issues causing the decline in student enrolment.

He recalled that students in government hostels were served fine rice. Approximately Rs.7,289 crore was allocated for education, and concrete buildings were arranged through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.

He emphasized that Chandrashekhar Rao had paid special attention to systematically strengthening the public education system. Initiatives such as the Chief Minister’s breakfast scheme were introduced to prevent dropouts, resulting in unprecedented competition for admissions in government schools.

However, the Revanth Reddy government had stopped such initiatives and was neglecting the most important issue of providing quality education to poor and middle-class students, he added.