HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday sought to turn the tables on the Opposition for criticising his handling of the Education portfolio with a volley of questions, even as he accused the Modi government of saddling the country with an unprecedented debt burden.
“Is it because breakfast is being provided from Nursery to Class 12, teacher recruitment and promotions are being managed, and ITIs are being transformed into ATCs? Is it because a Skills University was established to equip students with skills, and the heads of globally successful corporate organisations were appointed to its board?” Revanth questioned.
He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of placing a massive debt burden on the country. “The total debt incurred by Prime Ministers from Independence until 2014 was Rs 50 lakh crore. The debt incurred by Modi between 2014 and 2026 was Rs 151 lakh crore. The country’s total outstanding debt now stands at Rs 201 lakh crore,” he said.
During an interaction with teachers who had visited Finland and Germany to study their education systems at the MCRHRD Institute, Revanth announced annual foreign study tours for government teachers. The initiative, he said, would be modelled on overseas visits undertaken by IAS and IPS officers to upgrade their knowledge and skills.
“From now on, we will provide teachers with opportunities to go abroad for further studies. Plans must be formulated to ensure the government bears the cost of quality education,” Revanth said. Stressing that these initiatives were aimed at improving education rather than winning votes, he added, “Let us all pledge to carry the education mission forward.”
The chief minister also directed officials to submit, by December, an action plan for the next academic year, with every mandal treated as a cluster while preparing the roadmap.
Quality education should produce skilled, employable graduates: CM
Education and discipline, Revanth said, were the foundation for students to succeed in life. “Backwardness is not linked to assets or social status. Lack of education is the true form of backwardness. The state government’s main objective is to increase state revenue and distribute the benefits to the poor,” he said.
He said quality education should produce skilled and employable graduates, describing engineering graduates lacking practical skills as “criminal waste”. “Every year, 1.10 lakh students graduate with engineering degrees in the state. Ask them to fill out a job application. It is criminal waste. They will not take up small jobs because they believe they have pursued higher studies, nor will they upgrade their skills,” he said.
Revanth urged teachers to reflect on why parents continued to prefer private schools despite the state’s spending of Rs 1.08 lakh per student, while assuring them that their grievances would be addressed. “Parents spend approximately Rs 50,000 on children attending private schools. We need to reflect on why parents prefer private schools. The enrolment of one lakh additional students this year was a major achievement for school education,” he said.
Urging teachers to play a greater role in strengthening the education system, he asked them to spread awareness about the importance of education and share suggestions to improve the sector. Teachers’ associations, he said, should fight not only for their own demands but also for issues affecting students. “Let us transform our government educational institutions into world-class destinations. We should dedicate the next five years to society and to shaping the future of coming generations, while working towards making Telangana a role model for the nation,” he added.
Revanth also said English alone should not be treated as the benchmark for success. “If English were the only criterion, China would not have dominated the world. For 25 years, we looked towards America. Now, we must focus on countries like Germany, Japan and Singapore, where abundant opportunities are available,” he said.