09-05-2025
Talk on caste and religion-based exclusions in educational content and institutions
The Telangana Education Commission's seminar on education for students from Backward Classes (BCs), held in the city on Friday, laid emphasis on the need for a unified school management, and raised concerns about caste and religion-based exclusions in educational content and institutions.
The seminar addressed some systemic issues and concerns about social equity in BC institutions.
According to convenor of the working group on BC Education, Murali Manohar, the crisis can be traced to caste-based discrimination and the lack of constitutional recognition of BCs as a category.
He cited the absence of disaggregated data and called for release of the recent caste census data to address the gaps. Mr. Manohar also pointed at the long-standing educational deprivation faced by Shudras and Ati-shudras, contrary to the constitutional promise of equality.
Commission member P.L. Vishweshwar Rao reiterated the TECs recommendations of setting up of composite schools (nursery to grade 12) in every mandal, and the community demand for English medium instruction. He noted that 15 working groups are actively studying thematic concerns from curriculum to employability.
Mr. Rao also highlighted the contradictory state of Telangana's education, where govt. expenditure on each student remains the highest in the country but when it comes to learning outcomes, it is at the bottom. Alarming trends are also the declining enrolment in government schools, with over 2,000 schools with no students, and over 80% of junior colleges being privately managed.
Speaker Sudharshan Rao presented data on school landscape in Telangana. Noting the 'gaps' in digital infrastructure, he said that school dropouts among BC students, especially girls, are high.
