Etala Hits Out at Telangana CM for Comments on Private School Teachers

Hyderabad: BJP MP from Malkajgiri Etala Rajender on Tuesday claimed that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s recent statement that unqualified persons were teaching in some private schools was a biased viewpoint.

Taking part in a round table conference on ‘Development of education in Telangana – The Role of Private Teachers’ organised by the Telangana Private Teachers Forum, Rajendar condemned Revanth Reddy's statement and said it was unbecoming of a head of state.

“One can expect such a statement when he is in the Opposition to get prominent coverage in the media. However, a person in the Chief Minister’s chair should not make such biased comments,” he said.

Rajendar said highly qualified persons are working in private schools due to large-scale unemployment. The private sector is covering most of the education from primary level to higher education due to lack of promotions by the current and previous state governments.

Many government high schools have been closed down in the name of rationalisation. A number of government schools are running with a single teacher for all the subjects, he pointed out.

"While heading the education ministry, I used to say that the spending on the education sector should not be treated as an expenditure. It is an investment for the future," Rajendar said.

Stating that many parents are preferring private schools, Etala said dedicated teachers are also working in government schools. "Insulting teachers of private schools is unfair as they are giving service even after getting salary for eight months only. The government must take measures to ensure payment of salaries to private teachers for 12 months," he demanded.