HYDERABAD: Over 1.89 lakh students have enrolled in government schools across Telangana for the 2025–26 academic year under the Badi Bata programme, marking a 20% rise in admissions compared to last year.
According to data accessed by TNIE from the Education department, a total of 1,89,451 students were registered during the special enrolment drive. Among them, 83,888 students joined Class 1, while 31,096 students shifted from private to government schools.
The drive, which will continue until June 30, is expected to further boost admissions. Notably, nearly 1,980 government schools had recorded zero enrolments last year.
Government teachers said that there has been a notable increase in enrolment for this academic year. Many students from private schools, particularly from Hyderabad, are enrolling in English-medium schools. Also, several districts — Rangareddy, Karimnagar, Warangal and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri— have received an overwhelming response.
Owing to the lack of seats, some schools were forced to install a “Admissions Closed” board on their premises. One such school is Mandal Parishad Primary School (MPPS) in Raghunathpalli of Jangaon district. “Last year, only 48 got enrolled, but this year over 126 students sought admission in the school. The total strength of the school now stands at 174,” a school representative said.
Apart from this, some villages — Ushannapalli in Karimnagar, Aipoor in Nalgonda, and a village in Suryapet — do not seem to entertain the idea of private school buses entering their locality. They are allegedly restricting the buses, saying that they want all their wards to join the government schools.
A teacher stated that the primary reason for parents to send their wards to government schools was the tuition fee hike in private schools. They added that the state government has promised to provide private school-like facilities at the government schools, which has resulted in an overwhelming increase in admissions.
“With many desiring to send their children to government schools, this year, we received a welcoming reaction from parents. The affirmation can also be attributed to a fee hike in private schools. An unparalleled admission record of 1,000 was received with a total number of students standing at 1,160,” Uma Maheshwari, headmistress of MPPS in Muchintal, told TNIE.
Echoing this, M Ramana, a teacher from Yadadri, observed, “During our outreach, we found that most parents strongly preferred English-medium education.”
In-charge headmaster of GHS Nallakunta, Secunderabad, M Ravinder, told TNIE, “The government’s efforts to enhance the quality of education are commendable. Most students joining us are from budget private schools that charge high fees, whereas government schools offer everything free of cost — from tuition and uniforms to books and meals.”