HYDERABAD: The higher education sector in Telangana may appear to be evolving, but this might well be a myth, going by statistics alone.
The fact is that the state spends only about 2% of GDP on education, and Telangana has allocated under 15% of its Budget to the sector. This is the lowest per capita education spend in the country though per capita GSDP is high. On top of it, private education costs have risen, while scholarships and fee refunds hardly ease the load.
These are among the key concerns highlighted in a report titled ‘Higher Education in Telangana: Facts and Figures’, released by the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) on Wednesday. The report was conceptualised and executed by E Revathi, director, CESS, and Venkatanarayana Motkuri, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Research Cell on Education (RSEPPG), CESS.
Serving as a baseline assessment of the state’s higher education system, the report examines five core pillars — access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability — across 15 chapters. It situates the current landscape within the broader history of educational development in Telangana and reviews relevant national policies.
The report provides a district-wise mapping of higher education institutions, an overview of the policy framework for vocational education, and a conceptual framework for assessing quality.
A major concern raised is the state’s allocation of financial resources to education, particularly higher education. While average spending on education in all states is equal to or above 3% of GDP, Telangana’s expenditure is around 2%.
Education accounts for about 20% of total budget expenditure in most states, but in Telangana it is less than 15%. Despite high per capita GSDP and total budget expenditure, the state’s per capita education spending is among the lowest in India. Consequently, private expenditure on education has risen sharply and is now one of the highest in the country. Although scholarships and fee reimbursements supplement this burden, they are insufficient to meet the educational needs of the population.
While releasing the report, Sukhdev Thorat, Prof JBG Tilak, who chaired the session, and Prof Shanta Sinha raised concerns including widening inequalities between the rich and the poor, limited access to quality education, increasing privatisation and persistent challenges in ensuring quality. They noted these as issues the state must urgently address.
Explaining the findings, Prof Revathi said Telangana had performed remarkably in school and higher education over the past three decades.
However, “increasing privatisation and challenges related to delivering quality education” remain critical concerns that need attention.
Governance issues also feature prominently in the report, including the heavy burden of affiliation on a handful of universities.
The findings point to glaring quality deficits: state institutions with NAAC accreditation and positions in global or NIRF rankings remain few. Although the teacher-student ratio is near the 1:15 norm, larger institutions exceed it significantly. Teaching faculty vacancies in public institutions, especially state public universities, are acute. The report notes that remedial or developmental teaching exists in some institutions but is neither systematic nor sustained beyond occasional extra classes.
The report highlights other weaknesses. Telangana’s gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education stood at 40% in 2021-22 — 11.5% higher than the national average — yet the state has a relatively low net enrolment ratio in school education due to weak streamlining of students into age-appropriate classes.
This gap limits the potential for further increases in GER. Telangana also has a large number of small educational institutions, both schools and colleges, which affects quality.
Although there are more than 1,000 colleges, both private and public, offering conventional degree programmes along with STEM and other professional courses, the distribution of enrolment remains uneven. While one-third of students at the national level pursue Arts and Social Science programmes, the figure is less than 5% in Telangana.
Most higher education institutions in the state still lack NAAC accreditation, with fewer than 15% of colleges accredited. Among those accredited, 141 have an ‘A’ Grade, 141 a ‘B’ Grade and 20 a ‘C’ Grade. If this pattern continues, the report states that the overall quality of higher education is likely to deteriorate further.
Faculty shortages add to the concern: Osmania University has 891 of its 1,264 sanctioned posts vacant, and Kakatiya University has 323 of 409 posts unfilled. Recently established institutions such as Satavahana University and Palamuru University are functioning with skeletal staff, with 70% to 80% of teaching positions lying vacant.
As a way forward, the report suggests consolidating and restructuring institutions to address the issue of small size. It also recommends establishing Multi-disciplinary Education and Research Universities to strengthen the system.
AT A GLANCE
Telangana spends around 2% of GDP on education, below the 3% average in many states
Education receives less than 15% of the state budget, compared to about 20% in other states
Private expenditure on education is among the highest nationally; scholarships and fee reimbursements remain inadequate
Widening inequalities between rich and poor in access to quality higher education
Growing privatisation and persistent challenges in maintaining quality
Few state institutions hold NAAC accreditation or appear in global/NIRF rankings
Teacher-student ratio near the 1:15 norm overall but much higher in larger institutions
Severe faculty shortages
Osmania University: 891 of 1,264 sanctioned posts vacant
Kakatiya University: 323 of 409 posts vacant
Satavahana & Palamuru universities: 70%–80% posts vacant
Remedial teaching exists but is irregular and limited to occasional extra classes
GER in higher education is 40%, yet low net enrolment at school level hinders further growth
State has a large number of small-sized colleges and schools, affecting quality
Enrolment distribution is skewed: less than 5% of students pursue Arts r Social Sciences, compared to one-third nationally
Fewer than 15% of colleges are NAAC-accredited