HYDERABAD: For children in Gabbilalapeta, Jawaharnagar, getting a quality government education close to home remains a challenge. With limited school infrastructure and no government junior college nearby, residents are organising a ‘Chalo Medchal Collectorate’ march on Monday.
The protest, organised by the Government School Preservation Committee, seeks five acres of land for a Telangana Public School on the lines of the Arutla model, with facilities from Nursery to Class 12.
Residents said Jawaharnagar, home to around three lakh people, has a large population of daily-wage labourers, unorganised-sector workers and low-income families, making accessible government education particularly important.
The committee said MPPS Gabbilalapeta is functioning from a small rented premises with limited facilities, with multiple classes sometimes being conducted in a single room due to a shortage of classrooms.
Though the locality has eight primary schools and two high schools, residents said infrastructure remains inadequate.
The absence of a government junior college in Kapra mandal is another concern, forcing students to travel outside the locality for higher secondary education.
Residents warned that poor access to education could have wider social consequences, with children from vulnerable families at risk of being pushed into child labour and girls facing a higher risk of early marriage if they drop out.
Former Telangana Education Commission chairperson and retired IAS officer Akunuri Murali, former MLC Prof K Nageshwar, retired IAS officer Dr MV Reddy, Prof K Lakshminarayana, former MLC A Narsi Reddy, journalist Tulasi Chandu, Ravi Kanneganti and representatives of student and youth organisations, teachers and civil society groups are expected to participate in the march.
