Young India Integrated Residential Schools face delay

The Young India Integrated Residential Schools initiative in Telangana is facing delays more than 15 months after its announcement. Though tenders have been finalised for 78 schools, land-related issues and site challenges have slowed construction across several constituencies

Hyderabad: It has been over 15 months since the Congress government announced the Young India Integrated Residential Schools (YIIRS) initiative, but not a single school has been launched so far.

The government proposed setting up YIIRS in 105 Assembly constituencies for BC, SC, ST, Minority and other communities. Administrative sanction has been accorded for 86 schools.

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Of these, tenders have been finalised for 78 schools, while works are under way at different stages at 64 locations. The State government aims to launch 40 schools before the next academic year. However, the pace of work on the ground could make the target difficult to achieve.

The government proposed Rs 8,678 crore for YIIRS in the 2026-27 financial year. However, only Rs 234 crore has been spent so far, highlighting the slow progress of the project. Officials attributed the delay mainly to problems in land allotment and topographical challenges at several sites.

At Madhira, Huzurnagar and some other constituencies, the identified sites were rocky. Executing agencies had to undertake extensive work to level the land, which consumed considerable time and increased the workload, a senior official said.

In Kodangal, a site was initially identified for the school. Later, the government proposed developing the location as an educational hub, leading to a delay in finalising the plans. Similar issues were reported in a few other constituencies.

In some places, assigned lands were identified, while in others, the allotted land was found unsuitable for construction. The authorities sought alternate sites in such cases, the official said.

“Despite these challenges, works are being taken up at a brisk pace. By the next academic year, 25 schools would be ready for inauguration,” the official added.