Harish Rao accuses Telangana Govt of conspiring to close over 6,200 schools

HYDERABAD

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has alleged that the Congress Government in Telangana is conspiring to close about 6,200 schools though it promised primary school for each hamlet, upper primary and high school to every revenue village in its ‘Abhaya Hastham’ election manifesto.

Zero Schools

Former minister and Siddipet MLA of the party T. Harish Rao said in a statement on Thursday (November 28, 2024) that the government is planning to close 1,899 schools, titled‘zero schools’ citing no enrolment of children and another 4,314 schools having enrolment of 10 or less children. As part of the closure plans, the government is transferring 5,741 teachers working in those schools.

He mentioned that the previous BRS Government had spent ₹7,289 crore a year for strengthening schools by improving infrastructure under ‘Mana Ooru, Mana Badi’, breakfast to children and mid-day meal with fine variety rice. However, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who handles the Education portfolio too, had scrapped the breakfast scheme immediately after assuming power.

Discontinuation of ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi’ programme, food poisoning, meals with worms and other incidents had damaged the reputation of government schools and brought down the enrolment, eventually leading to closure of 6,213 schools, he said.

Published - November 28, 2024 05:55 pm IST