Education department not doing great, but Congress has been a better listener

The Congress government, which took over the reins from the Bharata Rashtra Samithi (BRS) that ruled the foundational 10 years of Telangana, last year, is hands down a better listener in terms of governance in the Education department.

The government enjoys a success rating for its District Selection Committee (DSC) examination to recruit 11,062 teachers in a record time, the long-pending promotions and transfers of teachers without any legal tussle, hike in diet and cosmetic charges in welfare hostels, payment of one DA installment out of total five pending since 2022, the Telangana Education Commission, and reinventing the Telangana Public Service Commission.

The other noteworthy projects, either ideated or in various stages of implementation, are the Young India Skill University, Integrated Residential Schools in each constituency, and the combat against drug abuse in educational institutions.

While the ‘star rating’ is limited to a few achievements and the government’s general approach concerning Education department, under it hide many failures and non-starters.

“It closed 6,213 schools, about 200 more than BRS. It promised 15% budget, but the actual is around 7.5%. Reimbursement dues are still pending since 2022. Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme for schools has stopped and sub-standard rate for mid-day meals continue. ₹5 lakh Vidya Bharosa card is not implemented. International schools are being made for constituencies, and not mandals as promised, and BJP’s National Education Policy-2020 is being implemented indirectly, with less focus on education and more on skill,” says Students’ Federation of India State leader T. Nagaraju.

M. Ravindar of Telangana Progressive Teachers’ Federation (TPTF) also credits the Congress for its achievements, but the list of issues that it assured for solving is longer.

Some of them include: “Retirement benefits on hold for thousands of teachers, new pay revision commission (PRC) which is for implementation since July 2023, pending service rules of ZP and government teachers for last three decades, poor staff in B.Ed colleges, lack of District Educational Officers and Mandal Educational Officer in all the districts, and Vice Chancellors appointed but no funds available for development or staff appointments.”

A general observation by various stakeholders is also the absence of a Minister for Education, currently the department is under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. Former Principal Secretary (Education) Burra Venkatesham, who had been a shock absorber, had his hands full, moved to TGPSC. But criticism was also that his role was all centralised and was the go-to in the department.

For K. Ramadas, honorary chairman of Telangana Pharmacy Colleges Association, among many failures and embarrassments for the Education department in Congress government, there are a few achievements.

One of them is a consensus also observed among the diverse fraternity: “In the 10-year rule of the BRS, neither an association nor a representation could go to the Secretary, or the Minister concerned. But now, at 3 p.m., one can enter the Secretariat and approach someone. They listen, whether there would be any result we have to wait and see.”