HYDERABAD: Despite tall claims, education is turning out to be a thorn in the flesh for TRS. The slow rate of growth of the State’s literacy at 66.46 per cent that pegged the State at 25th position in national rankings and below Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — which have lower revenue rates — as per the 2011 census, could become a challenge for the Pink Party.
Congress, which has been critical of TRS over non-implementation of education-related policies, particularly non-payment of fee reimbursement dues, has made a tall claim of revamping the sector within 100 days if voted to power. In this light, the education manifesto released by Congress proposes fee reimbursement in two instalments annually.
Stating that TRS spent `2,043 crore between 2014 and 2018 as against the `4,495 crore allocated for education, an average allocation of 6-7 per cent of the entire budget, Congress promises to allocate 20 per cent of the entire budget on education. If KG to PG was TRS’s adage in the last election, Mission ‘100 per cent Literacy’ can be touted to be that Congress’s this time.
20 per cent budget?
The TPCC has also tried to encash on the government’s setting up of District Fee Regulatory Committee. Lauding the 20 per cent budget for education, Hyderabad Schools Parents Association said it was upgrade from the 6-7 per cent that the present government had been devoting towards education. “The most heartening part is the commitment to constitute DFRCs — a long standing demand of HSPA. We are happy with the stress laid on parents’ involvement via PTAs and the intent to establish vigilance department for to monitor wrong-doing in shorter time,” said Ashish Naredi, a member, adding that caveat however is final only with implementation.
With regard to government schools, Congress wants to revive the 4,500 schools that were shut down across the State in the last few years and said there would be increased focus on digital education. Efforts would also be made to absorb the 30 per cent students from SC community who have dropped out from schools and also to bring the 50 per cent of out-of-school ST children back to schools. To make schools more disable friendly, there is a suggestion to properly implement the Disabled Children Act. Yoga and physical education would also be made compulsory across all schools of the state.