Mid-day meal staff in TS get salary hike after six-day protest

Hyderabad: On the sixth day of the mid-day meal workers’ strike, Telangana state education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy finally gave in to their demands and announced that increased wages would be provided to the workers starting this month.

Deccan Chronicle had carried a series of reports on their wages not being paid for months. The wage increase will benefit the 54,201 cooks and helpers currently employed in schools across the state. Sabitha Reddy acknowledged that the government's decision would result in an additional burden of Rs 108.40 crore per year.

The announcement was made during a meeting with district education officers (DEOs) at the Telangana State Institute of Rural Development (TSIRD) in Rajendranagar. She directed officials to ensure the timely release of funds related to the mid-day meal scheme, as well as to improve the quality of food and increase supervision.

During the meeting, the minister also discussed the implementation of the 'First Step' programme, aimed at addressing the learning crisis that primarily affects primary-level education. The programme focuses on improving language and mathematics skills. Sabitha Reddy informed attendees that an annual plan would be released this year specifically for the successful implementation of the 'First Step' initiative.

Furthermore, she announced that a state-level achievement survey would be conducted annually to assess students' minimum abilities at the school level. Based on the survey results, appropriate actions would be taken in the future.

To ensure better outcomes for class 10 students, officials were instructed to take measures from the beginning of the academic year instead of rushing and worrying only when exams are approaching. Sabitha Reddy also urged officials to allocate works under the Mana Ooru-Mana Badi programme and hand over projects costing more than Rs 1 crore to the School Management Committees (SMC).

Addressing concerns about delays in providing uniforms to students, Sabitha Reddy emphasised the need for prompt action and warned of consequences for any further delays.