HYDERABAD: Only 9% of higher education institutions in Telangana said all their students have a similar level of understanding, while 91% acknowledged wide variations in academic capacity, a survey has found. However, many institutions hesitate to conduct remedial classes, citing constraints such as lack of transport facilities for students and faculty.
The findings form part of the chapter ‘Developmental Teaching Arrangements in Higher Education Institutions’ in the report Higher Education in Telangana: Facts and Figures, conceptualised by researchers at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS). The report serves as a baseline assessment of the state’s higher education system, examining access, equity, quality, affordability and accountability across 15 chapters.
The chapter highlights that first-generation learners and marginalised students are disproportionately affected by the absence of structured academic support, particularly developmental or remedial education.
According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2018–19, Telangana has around 2,084 colleges and 31 universities, with a total regular enrolment of about 1.4 million students. The CESS study aimed to map all institutions, including those covered under the UGC Act, 1956 (Sections 2(f) and 12(B)), to assess the availability of remedial teaching programmes.
The survey was conducted telephonically in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Of the 2,084 institutions, 1,575 higher education institutions responded and their inputs were analysed.
CESS officials said the survey revealed that 95% of institutions felt some students lag in understanding classroom teaching. About 78% reported conducting special classes akin to remedial teaching. However, nearly half of the college authorities were unaware of remedial teaching schemes or the UGC’s remedial teaching programme. Only 2.7% of institutions had availed UGC funds for this purpose. The study noted that remedial teaching is not widely institutionalised in Telangana’s higher education system, underscoring the need to strengthen such arrangements.
Several professional colleges, including government institutions and universities, expressed interest in conducting special classes after regular hours but cited difficulties such as lack of transport facilities for students and faculty.
From a policy perspective, the report stresses the need for a comprehensive framework for ‘developmental education’ to support first-generation learners and students from marginalised backgrounds. Such measures, it said, would help reduce learning gaps, prevent dropouts and curb wastage in higher education.