Pomp marks Education Day

HYDERABAD: As part of the decennial celebrations of the Telangana formation day, Vidya Dinotsavam (Education Day) celebrations were held across the state on Tuesday.

Schools and universities observed the day by holding various cultural and traditional activities.

As part of the ‘Mana Ooru Mana Badi’ scheme, libraries and digital classrooms were launched in government schools in the state. Uniforms, textbooks, notebooks and tabs were distributed to schoolteachers and students.

However, teachers had earlier complained that despite the academic year for schools having started on June 12, they received stationary and books, among other things, later on (on Tuesday)

Legislative Council Chairman Gutta Sukhender Reddy, education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy along with other ministers and public representatives partook in the ceremony held at Rabindra Bharati.

Ministers, MLAs, MLCs and local public representatives participated in the Vidya Dinostavam by visiting schools and interacting with students and teachers.

The festival was also held at gurukuls, medical, engineering, polytechnic, ITI, forestry, agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and fisheries institutes across the state.

Achievements of the state in the field of education in nine years were explained at these celebrations. Close to 700 Mana Ooru Mana Badi schools were inaugurated, according to the state education department.

Painting, song competitions, essay-writing and other programmes were organised for students in government schools that were decked with up for the day.

Marches and rallies were organised in remote areas as well as in towns to raise awareness about the importance of government schools.

Meanwhile, tests and exams that were scheduled to be held on Tuesday were postponed just a day before (on Monday). Students and parents were annoyed with the change and questioned school and college authorities who said they were directed to do so.

"Are some random celebrations more important than an exam? How apathetic does the department have to be to not take students' mindsets into consideration when enforcing these on schools?" asked Vimala Mayan, a parent, while another said that the best way to celebrate Education Day would be to “not cause trouble to those working towards it”.