HYDERABAD: The 12-day Education Bus Yatra of the Telangana People’s Front (TPF) across 10 districts of Telangana concluded on Sunday with the organisation reporting deficiencies in every school it visited. The yatra brought to the fore a range of problems in government and private schools, including inadequate toilets, unsafe campuses, poor infrastructure, shortage of facilities and the growing financial burden of private education on families.
The yatra involved visits to schools, interactions with parents, students and local communities, round-table meetings and overnight stays at government schools under the Badi Nidra programme. According to TPF members, none of the schools they visited fully met the infrastructure and academic standards they consider necessary for a functional school. The organisation said it plans to file a petition soon.
During a Badi Nidra stay at a ZP High School for Girls in Dharur, Vikarabad district, the team reported abandoned buildings, the absence of a secure gate and boundary wall, and the presence of stray animals, including pigs, dogs and monkeys, on the campus. Students also raised concerns about toilets, with participants stating that around 400 girls had access to only two toilets.
In Malkapur village of Gudihatnoor mandal in Adilabad district, the team stayed overnight at a government school and highlighted infrastructure deficiencies. Similar stays were conducted at schools in Nizamabad, Jawaharnagar and Karimnagar.
Speaking to TNIE, former Telangana Education Commission chairman and TPF core committee member Akunuri Murali said the problems were not confined to a particular district or type of school.
“Every school has deficiencies. Neither a dignified environment nor basic physical facilities nor the required quality of education is maintained,” he said.
The yatra also found that private schools were not uniformly better equipped despite the fees charged to parents. Murali cited a private school in Karimnagar district where teachers were available for individual classes, but the school lacked proper doors, windows, fans and lighting, as well as adequate toilets, a playground and play equipment.
The findings, he said, highlighted the need to regulate private schools not only on fees but also on minimum infrastructure and academic standards.
Another concern raised during the campaign was the absence of a clearly defined benchmark for what constitutes a good school. The TPF said the Arutla Telangana Public School could serve as a model, pointing to its classrooms, dining facilities, kitchen, playgrounds, teachers, coaches and non-teaching staff.
The organisation has sought three laws to regulate private school fees and standards, strengthen Telangana public schools and guarantee 18 per cent of the State Budget for education. It has also proposed an additional `6,000 crore over five years to build or strengthen around 2,000 public schools.
