Revanth To Launch Education Kits Scheme For Students In New Academic Year

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is set to launch an ‘education kits scheme’ for students in government schools and hostels ahead of the academic year beginning in June. This will cover around 19 lakh students in governement schools and five lakh students studying in hostels, including gurukuls, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), model schools, tribal welfare schools and other institutions run by government societies. While hostel students will be provided education kits containing 24 items each, government school students (day scholars) will get kits containing three items each. This is in addition to the school-related paraphernalia that is distributed annually to all students.

To implement the scheme, the government has floated tenders for procurement of education kits, with April 13 set as the deadline for submission of bids. The Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS), nodal agency for integrated tendering, has already initiated the process and set up a project monitoring unit after conducting review meetings with senior officials. The 24 items have been categorised into nine groups, with separate tenders issued for each.

The 24-item education kit includes school and white uniforms, bags, shoes, socks, belts, ties, ID cards, stationery, PT dress, night dress, tracksuit, carpet, bedsheet, blanket, towel, plate, glass, bowl, cup, spoon, trunk box, notebooks and trolley bags. These kits will be supplied from the 2026–27 academic year, benefiting a large section of residential students.

In addition, the government has decided to supply education kits to nearly 19 lakh day scholars studying in government schools by providing them three essential items, shoes, socks and belts. Currently, day scholars receive only free textbooks and mid-day meals. Officials said this move is significant as nearly 50 per cent of students in elementary government schools do not wear footwear, while 5 to 10 per cent of high school students face similar conditions, particularly those walking long distances from villages to schools.

Contractors selected through the process must supply all items within 45 days and ensure delivery to schools and hostels by the first week of June, ahead of the reopening of schools on June 12. Strict conditions have been imposed, including a penalty of one per cent for every 15 days of delay. Contractors failing to deliver may face blacklisting for seven years or permanent debarment from participating in future tenders. The government has also mandated barcoding for each item to ensure transparency and tracking.

A pre-bid meeting was held at Samkshema Bhavan, Masab Tank on Wednesday where officials briefed contractors on the strict timelines to be followed for supply of education kits. Officials stated that all items provided to gurukul students will also be extended to students in KGBVs, model school hostels and urban residential schools.