Latest news with #TelanganaEducationCommission
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Midday meals in Telangana hit by fund crunch; eggs, veggies vanish from students' plates
HYDERABAD: On paper, students in government schools across the state have a nutritious meal menu. On their plates? Just rice and dal, day after day. Soaring food prices and Rs 2 crore owed to midday meal agencies have quietly pushed eggs, vegetables and sambar off the menu. Sources said the prescribed day-wise menu — rice with egg and sambar on Mondays and Thursdays, vegetable curry on Tuesdays and Fridays, dal with leafy greens and an egg on Wednesdays and Saturdays — exists only on charts. In reality, students are being served plain rice and dal daily, and eggs once a week. Pointing to the increasing prices, midday meal agencies said the government hasn't cleared their bills for over three months. 'Vegetables, eggs and pulses have all become expensive. We were told the per-child cost has been revised, but the funds haven't reached us,' said a member of Manna Trust, an NGO supplying meals in Hyderabad. In March, the Telangana Education Commission proposed a revised budget, hiking the cost per meal from Rs 8.69 to Rs 13.45 for students from classes 1–5, and from Rs 11.79 to Rs 18.60 and Rs 19.14 for classes 6–8 and 9 and 10, respectively. A total of Rs 151 crore was sanctioned. But none of that has trickled down to the field. 'We've stopped asking,' said Sharada, in-charge of the midday meal in Jagtial. 'For the last academic year, we managed with Rs 8.69 per child. We heard the cost was increased, but where's the money? Bills haven't been cleared for months.' Self-help group workers across districts echo the frustration. In Hyderabad, Jagtial and Sangareddy, school headmasters say they've received no official communication about the revised rates. 'We don't know why the funds haven't been released. Meanwhile, meal workers confront us daily about unpaid dues,' said one headmaster who declined to be named.
Hans India
23-07-2025
- General
- Hans India
TGEC hosts consultative workshop to reimagine remedial education
Hyderabad: The Telangana Education Commission (TGEC) organized a consultative workshop on 'Remedial Teaching in School Education'. The workshop drew participation from academic experts, civil society leaders, and grassroots educators who converged to chart a strategic path for remedial interventions across the state. Chairperson of the Commission, Akunuri Murali, opened the session by voicing concern over foundational learning gaps that are eroding students' self-worth and long-term potential. He highlighted systemic issues such as multi-grade classrooms and insufficient early learning support in Anganwadis, calling for a robust overhaul of the teaching-learning ecosystem. Ram Babu, State Lead of Pratham (Telangana), presented insights from two decades of ASER data, revealing enduring deficits in basic competencies. He advocated for Telangana to adopt successful 'Teaching at the Right Level' (TaRL) models used in other states. R. Venkat Reddy of the MV Foundation emphasized the importance of learning diversity and child rights, stressing the need for inclusive, learner-centered classrooms. He emphasized that every child has the potential to understand if they are provided with the right environment. Dr. Shikha Takker from Mahindra University cautioned against quick-fix approaches, urging research-driven remedial practices that build strong mathematical foundations. Dr. Mythili Sastry, also from Mahindra University, questioned the time-bound nature of remediation, advocating instead for continuous, year-round support backed by empowered school leadership. NGO Pustaka showcased the effectiveness of reading sessions and storybooks in bridging learning gaps. A teacher from Khammam shared tangible success from short-term intensive interventions, emphasizing differentiated instruction and emotional connection with students. A recurring recommendation was to institutionalize remedial teaching through welfare hostels and deploy dedicated tutors year-round to guarantee consistent support. The workshop concluded with a collective agreement: remedial education must be embedded as a core element in the education system, not as a temporary solution. This shift, participants affirmed, is key to achieving inclusive, equitable, and sustained learning for all children in Telangana. Commission members Prof. P.L.V. Rao and Dr. Charakonda Venkatesh also attended the workshop, reaffirming the Commission's commitment to systemic educational reform.
The Hindu
22-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
‘Remedial education must be a sustained component in schooling system'
Remedial education in schools, to improve learning abilities of children, must not be seen as an add-on facility but a core and sustainable component in the schooling system. This will not only enhance learning but also ensure equity and inclusion. That was the consensus of academics, practitioners, voluntary organisations in the field of children education, and school officials, at the consultative workshop on remedial teaching in schools conducted by Telangana Education Commission (TEC), here on Tuesday. TEC chairman Akunuri Murali observed that the consultation was important, in the wake of poor comprehension levels and foundational learning crisis. 'Many students lacking basic competency are not only losing their valuable time but also confidence and dignity. The structural issues, including multi-grade classrooms and limited focus on early education in Anganwadis, have compounded the crisis,' he noted. According to Reddy of MV Foundation, which extensively works with out-of-school children, those who are capable of learning given the right environment. Start from what learners already know, recognise diversity in classroom and create a democratic learning space, he suggested. For Ram Babu of Pratham, Mumbai-based organisation, who inferred from Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) trends, adopting 'Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL)' interventions in the State would help better foundation skills. Professors at the Indira Mahindra School of Education Shikha Takker and Mythili Sastry also emphasised the need for strong conceptual foundation in Mathematics and the importance of school leadership in remedial teaching. further raised a question: 'Should remedial education be time-bound or integrated as a continuous support system throughout the academic year?' Sharing similar experiences, a teacher from Khammam cited examples of short-term intensive interventions, an organisation said story books and reading sessions can be effective tools while another suggested separate tutors round the year and embedding remedial education in welfare hostels and schools through volunteers.
New Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Parents seek swift implementation of fee regulation Bill in Telangana
While the proposed Bill suggests formation of parent-teacher committees, parents' associations feel that there is a need for a statutory system and that officials from the Education department too should be included in these panels. While the proposed Bill suggests formation of parent-teacher committees, parents' associations feel that there is a need for a statutory system and that officials from the Education department too should be included in these panels. Photo | Express illustrations HYDERABAD: There seems to be no end to suggestions for and objections to the proposed Bill, drafted by the Telangana Education Commission, to regulate and monitor fee structure in private schools and junior colleges. While the proposed Bill suggests formation of parent-teacher committees, parents' associations feel that there is a need for a statutory system and that officials from the Education department too should be included in these panels. Expressing concern that no fee regulations are in place in the current academic year even though the draft Bill was submitted to the government way back in January, the members of Hyderabad Schools Parents Association are of the opinion it should be implemented as soon as possible to ensure that the new rules come into effect at the start of next academic year. They also suggested that the Commission come up with a proper fee hike percentage along with duration — for instance a 5% annual fee increase once in every three or five years after approval from the Fee Regulation & Monitoring Commission — as this is not mentioned in the proposed Bill. Kishore, a member of HSPA, said: 'We want the draft Bill to be implemented but we had a meeting with subcommittee members only once. After that the state government seems to have forgotten about it. During that meeting, we suggested that the Commission provide clarity on how much annual fee should be increased and in how many years.
Hans India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
TGED-TGEC rivalry hits education sector
Hyderabad: Is the education sector in Telangana, supposed to be helmed by the Telangana Education Commission (TEGC) and the Telangana Education Department (TEGD) with clear lines of authority, riddled with contradictions and confusion due to a subtle tug-of-war between the two units resulting indelayed decision-making at higher levels of the administration? If certain recent developments are any indication, the answer is yes. The TGEC claims that recommending policies from early childhood education to higher education is in its domain. However, the TGED seems disinterested in the TGEC's workings and recommendations. Speaking to The Hans India, a senior TGED official stated that the TGEC had been overstepping its mandate and attempting to intrude into departmental affairs. For instance, the TGED officials regularly attend the Samagra Shiksha meetings convened by the Union Education Ministry. The TGED is also responsible for managing higher education, including matters related to the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) and universities. The TGED needs to deal with funding, policies, and laws from the state government and bodies like the University Grants Commission, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and others. Yet, the TGEC, which is meant be a think tank, is 'conducting seminars or workshops and claiming to prepare policies based on experts' opinions without any consideration of any of these issues.' For instance, the TGEC conducts public hearings, like gram sabhas, and asserts that it has gathered 'stakeholder views' to support its policy recommendations. According to TGED sources, to date the TGEC has reportedly submitted seven policy recommendations to the state government. However, none of them has been acted upon. The TGEC's draft recommendation for enacting legislation on private unaided schools and junior colleges has also been shelved, as the TGEC's fee-fixing parameters would not stand legal scrutiny. Moreover, the TGEC has criticised the state government for making inadequate budgetary allocations for education in the 2025-26 fiscal year, compared to global standards. Also, the TGEC's proposal to earmark 25 per cent of seats for the underprivileged, as per the Right to Education Act, and its recommendations to extend mid-day meals to junior colleges are viewed as either stirring a hornet's nest or imposing further financial burdens on a state government already grappling with financial constraints. The latest from the corridors of power suggests that taking exception to the functioning of the TGEC, officials from the TGED have skipped its meeting. Its efforts to rope in state vice-chancellors as the stakeholders to its workshops and seminars evoked a poor response, as the VCs and senior university officials could not make any sense of the activities and the functioning of TGEC.
