RS Praveen Kumar slams Telangana Education Commission report as regressive

BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar criticised the Telangana Education Commission’s report as politically motivated and regressive. He opposed proposed changes to teacher promotions and admissions policy, vowing to scrap the report if the BRS returns to power.

Hyderabad: Calling the Telangana Education Commission’s report on education system regressive and politically motivated, BRS general secretary RS Praveen Kumar accused the Congress government of attempting to dilute welfare-driven education reforms and discredit former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s initiatives. He warned that implementing the recommendations would push Telangana’s education standards backwards.

Speaking to mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, Praveen Kumar termed the latest report a conspiracy to undermine Telangana’s education system and vowed to scrap it altogether when the BRS returned to power. Praveen Kumar objected to recommendations suggesting changes in teacher promotions and salary structures, insisting that pay revisions must remain under the purview of the Pay Revision Commission (PRC), not the Education Commission. He accused the panel of unfairly blaming the previous BRS regime without a comprehensive review.

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The report, prepared under the chairmanship of a retired civil servant, Aakunuri Murali, had hurt the self-respect of nearly 1.7 lakh teachers, he said, asserting that when the BRS returned to power, the report would be thrown into the dustbin. Praveen Kumar cited the Rs 7,900-crore “Mana Ooru-Mana Badi” programme under which 25,000 schools were upgraded, expansion of Gurukul institutions, and establishment of medical and nursing colleges, during the BRS regime. He said teacher salaries were significantly enhanced during the BRS rule.

The BRS leader also opposed reported suggestions to cancel engineering entrance examinations in favour of Intermediate marks, warning that such a move would be a disadvantage to rural students and benefit corporate colleges. He alleged that proposals to phase out Gurukuls and reconsider fee reimbursement would harm poor families and weaken access to higher education.