HYDERABAD: Telangana Education Commission (TEC) Chairman Akunuri Murali on Friday resigned from his post. He submitted his resignation letter to Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao, over four months before the completion of his tenure.
Murali was appointed chairman of the Telangana Education Commission in 2024. During his tenure, the commission proposed several major reforms in the state education system.
Key recommendations included, establishing the Telangana Education Standards Authority (TESA) to monitor standards, regulating private school fees, revamping higher education by scrapping the self-financing system, overhauling mid-day meals, introduction of Telangana Public School and merging of school and intermediate education.
Attempts by TNIE to contact Murali proved futile. According to sources, delays in the implementation of the commission’s recommendations contributed to his decision to resign.
In his resignation letter, Murali stated that he was stepping down as the responsibilities entrusted to him had been completed. He noted that the Commission had submitted a comprehensive report on the condition of both public and private education sectors in Telangana, along with a set of recommendations for reforms. He thanked the state government for providing him with the opportunity to serve as the chairman of the commission.
A senior IAS officer, Murali, previously served as the District Collector of Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Director General of Telangana State Archives. He also held positions as Managing Director and Vice Chairman of the Telangana Seed Development Corporation and CEO of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP).
In undivided Andhra Pradesh, he served as Director of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Among his notable contributions was the development of the country’s first community contracting methodology, which was later used for infrastructure projects across Andhra Pradesh.