Telangana budget 2022: Finance minister highlights new school education scheme

Hyderabad: Finance minister T. Harish Rao highlighted the new scheme, Mana Ooru Mana Badi, also called Mana Basti Mana Badi in urban areas, which focuses on introducing the English medium and improving infrastructure in all government schools.

With an outlay of Rs 7,289 crore, the scheme is aimed at improving 12 different areas including digital education, electrification, kitchen sheds, dining halls, and drinking water.

The first phase of the scheme will cover 9,123 schools with an outlay of Rs 3,497 crore. There would be a focus on the students' learning outcomes. All the schools would have facilities on par with corporate schools, the minister said in his Budget speech.

"The government has initiated measures to introduce English medium in all the schools. Students who study predominantly in government schools should also have the benefit of studying in English. These students should also get opportunities on par with others," he said.

The minister stated that Telangana leads the country in the number of residential educational institutions. “The government's focus initially was on residential education and in the next phase, we are now focusing on improving the other schools,” he added.

Rao further added that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao believed that educating women would mean educating the entire nation. The government has established 46 women residential degree colleges, of which five colleges offer postgraduate courses, he said.

The minister announced the setting up of Telangana's first women's university with an outlay of Rs 100 crore. He announced that the forest college in Mulugu would be upgraded into a forest university with an outlay of Rs 100 crore.

Budget for Education in numbers

Mana Ooru Mana Badi: Rs 7,289 crores

First women's university: Rs 100 crore

Upgrading Mulugu forest college into university: Rs 100 crore

Residential schools: 973

Residential degree colleges for women: 46