HYDERABAD: The TRS government in the state is all set to implement the only pending poll promise - free education from KG to PG - and is likely to make necessary allocation for it in the State Budget for 2016-17.
According to sources in the education department, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to fine-tune the KG-to-PG free education programme at a pre-budget meeting to be held with officials of the education department on February 23.
Recently, the chief minister has claimed that his government has implemented all the 120 assurances given in the 2014 election manifesto except the one on KG-to-PG free education, and declared that it too will be implemented soon.
Accordingly, the education department has prepared three models and estimated the number of classrooms, faculty members and students in each classroom, and considered other details.
“Rao will decide on one of the three models on February 23,” the sources said.
In the first phase, the free education programme will be introduced in 120 institutions, one in each Assembly constituency.
The existing Kasturba Schools, model schools and residential schools will cease to exist and they will be merged into the KG-to-PG free education programme.
The government wants to start these 120 KG-to-PG institutions in the existing buildings of the Kasturba and model schools from the next academic year. Later one such school will be available for every five or six villages.
The minimum intake strength of students in each school will be 600 and the maximum will be 1,000.
According to the TRS manifesto, KG-to-PG will be a compulsory residential education facility and CBSE syllabus will be followed. Quality food, books, dress and medicare to students will be provided free of cost.
Around 20 lakh students in Telangana are studying in private corporate schools and the remaining 40 lakh students will be covered under the compulsory KG-to-PG education programme.
Meet on Feb 23
KCR to fine-tune the KG-to-PG free education programme at a pre-budget meeting to be held with officials of education dept on Feb 23. Initially, 120 schools, one in each Assembly constituency, will be started.