Teachers should aim for 100% literacy in Telangana: Gutha

Speaking as the chief guest at the sixth state-level meeting of the Telangana State United Teachers’ Federation (TSUTF) held at Lakshmi Gardens on the outskirts of Nalgonda, Sukender Reddy expressed concern over the increasing dropout rates in government schools. He criticised the previous state government for neglecting infrastructure in these schools. He noted that the Congress government, after coming to power, has prioritised improving educational quality and infrastructure. He urged teachers to contribute to this effort.

Telangana State Education Commission chairman Akunuri Mural accused the earlier government of intentionally diluting the education system by allocating only 6.4 per cent of the state budget to education, the lowest in the country. He criticised successive governments for ignoring quality education for the poor and warned against relying solely on residential schools for education reform.

Teachers’ MLC Alugubelli Narsi Reddy alleged that the BJP government was trying to saffronise education, promoting religious beliefs and superstitions, which he described as dangerous for society. He called for strengthening schools and ensuring quality education through joint efforts by governments and teachers. He also stressed the need to implement service rules in the education sector to address existing challenges.

Reddy requested the Congress government to prioritise both school and higher education, which he said were neglected during the previous BRS government. He urged measures to prevent the commercialisation of education.

TSUTF state president K. Jangaiah highlighted administrative challenges in the education department, noting that 22 districts lack regular district education officers (DEOs), 63 deputy DEO positions remain vacant, and only 14 out of 480 mandals have regular mandal education officers. He urged the state government to address these gaps to strengthen the education system.