Telangana People’s Front seeks three urgent interventions to save education system

The Telangana People’s Front (TPF), a coalition of former bureaucrats and civil society leaders, including former Education Commission chairperson Akunuri Murali, has written to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy seeking urgent measures to revamp the state's public education system. The TPF described the current state of education as being akin to a patient in an ICU.

This letter follows their Vidya Bus Yatra, which took place from September 15 to 29, visiting 20 government and private schools across erstwhile districts in the state to gather feedback from parents, students, and other stakeholders. The TPF is calling for three immediate actions: establishing an independent Fee Regulatory Commission to control private school fees, enhancing government schools under the Telangana Public Schools (TPS) program, and allocating a minimum of 18% of the state's annual budget to education, excluding residential institutions.

The TPF also reminded the Congress government of its 2023 election promise to raise education spending to 15% of the budget, a commitment they claim has yet to be fulfilled. The group emphasized that strengthening existing schools, colleges, and universities must be given equal importance. They urged Chief Minister Reddy to treat education as a sector requiring the highest priority, stating that if Telangana is to become a knowledge-based society, education must be elevated to that level of importance.