HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday said the state government would increase the allocation for education in the Budget from the present 8% to 15% in phases from next year, while announcing a series of measures aimed at strengthening government schools.
Addressing the inaugural meeting of Education Week, organised as part of the Praja Palana celebrations, Revanth said the government would soon take key decisions concerning the Education department and implement a new education policy. He appealed to teachers to work an extra hour for the benefit of poor students.
The chief minister said state-run educational institutions located within the Outer Ring Road limits would be provided basic amenities at an estimated cost of Rs 1,700 crore.
Highlighting the government’s initiatives, he said around 11,000 teachers were recruited within 60 days, while 22,000 teachers were promoted and 36,000 transferred without issues. He added that the Telangana Education department’s performance had been appreciated by NITI Aayog.
Revanth said around 19 lakh students were studying in 27,000 government schools with 1.5 lakh teachers, translating to an average of one teacher for every 17 students. In comparison, he noted that 38 lakh students were enrolled in 12,000 private schools. “What is the greatness of private schools and where are government schools lacking?” he asked.
“My aim is to make Telangana No. 1 in education in the country,” he said.
Revanth said around 25 teachers had been sent on study tours to Finland, and that 500 more teachers would soon be sent abroad. Outstanding teachers would be honoured on State Formation Day, he added.
