‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi’ brings new lease of life for govt schools in Telangana

Among several initiatives in the education sector, the government's flagship 'Mana Ooru-Mana Badi' programme helped transform State schools

Hyderabad: Going by the brand new furniture including dual desks for students, swanky classrooms with pictorial paintings, dining hall, etc., many would presume it to be a corporate or an international school. But in fact, it is the Government Model Primary School Aliya, Hyderabad which has been transformed under ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi/Mana Basti-Mana Badi’ programme.

The ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi’ programme, the State government’s flagship initiative for comprehensive development and strengthening infrastructure in government schools, formally launched by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao at ZP High School (Boys) at Wanaparthy this year, has infused a new lease of life into governments schools.

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As a part of the initiative, a total of 26,072 government and local body schools are getting a major facelift under 12 components in a phased manner. The components include toilets with running water facility, electrification, drinking water supply, furniture, painting of entire schools, green chalkboard, compound walls, kitchen sheds, new classrooms in place of dilapidated ones, dining halls in high schools, and implementation of digital education.

In this first phase of the programme, the State government has taken up works in 9,123 schools at an estimated cost of Rs 3,497.62 crore. Of these schools, works for 97.8 per cent have got administrative sanctions, and works in 82.41 per cent of the schools have already been grounded.

Apart from improving infrastructure in the schools, the School Education Department harnessing technology has introduced app-based geo-attendance for both teaching and non-teaching staff in the government and local body schools doing away with the age-old practice of marking attendance in the registers.

Government colleges

In addition to the existing 405 government junior colleges, the State government established one Government Vocational Junior College and one Government Junior College at Qutbullapur and Meerpet respectively. These colleges had evoked huge responses for admission.

The State government also accorded permission for establishing the Government Model Residential Polytechnic College at Manuguru, Bhadradri Kothagudem district. An administrative approval in principle sanctioning a new Government Degree College at Makthal, Narayanpet district from this year was also issued.

Universities

First Women’s University

Telangana had its first Women’s University this year with the government issuing orders upgrading Osmania University College for Women into Telangana Mahila Viswavidyalayam (Women’s University).

Osmania University

Osmania University has brought in major changes to the credit system in the PG courses by reducing the number of credits from 96 to 80 this academic year. The University has also approved the introduction of the Professor of Practice concept enabling the colleges to hire industry experts as faculty members. A new hostel for girls has come up at Nizam College and the University laid the foundation stone for constructing a 500-capacity men’s hostel at an estimated cost of Rs 39.50 crore this year.

JNTU-Hyderabad

Doing away with the rigid admission system, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU)-Hyderabad commenced the dual degree option with an Engineering programme along with BBA in Data Analytics. It also launched BBA in Data Analytics programme under a self-financed category with 60 seats in the School of Management Studies, JNTU-Hyderabad campus. This apart, the government issued orders establishing the JNTU Engineering College at Wanaparthy this year.

Residential Educational Institutions

A large number of institutions catering to the needs of BC communities in the State have come up under the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society this year. The State government established 33 residential schools, four junior colleges, 14 degree colleges, and two agriculture degree colleges exclusively for women taking the total number of BC Welfare Residential Institutions to 310 which are offering quality free education to 1,65,160 students.

The Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society introduced several new courses in its colleges giving an opportunity for students to choose a different career option this year. The Society commenced BA International Relations, BA Public Policy, BSc Info-informatics, BSc (Hons) in Fashion and Design besides integrated MA Economics programmes which evoked a huge response from students.

Students of Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society have hit the headlines by bagging seats in the country’s premier institutions this year. A total of 142 students have joined the Indian Institutes of Technology and National Institutes of Technology apart from 51 students enrolling for the medicine top-notch medical colleges in the country.

The Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society students clearing various national and State-level entrance examinations doubled this year. A total of 3,267 including 17 in the JEE Main and one in JEE Advanced, which are considered the toughest exams, have qualified. During the last academic year, a total of 1,535 students qualified for various entrance tests.