Hyderabad: A meeting called “Telangana: Future Ready” was held on Wednesday to discuss ways to improve government schools in the state. The meeting was led by Dr. Yogita Rana, the State Education Secretary, and included representatives from various teachers’ unions.
During the meeting, EV Narsimhareddy, Director of School Education, shared data from the NAS and ASER reports. He pointed out a worrying drop in the number of students enrolling in government schools.
Dr. Rana asked the unions for ideas on how to improve the quality of education and attract more students. She also encouraged the unions to adopt schools and help improve them. One idea shared was to conduct a “School Walk Programme” to increase enrollment. The unions suggested holding this event in April or late May instead of June.
The unions made several other suggestions. They said starting pre-primary classes in government schools could help boost enrollment. They also recommended organizing teacher training during holidays and arranging visits to successful schools so teachers can learn from them.
Another idea was to connect Anganwadi Centres with pre-primary schools to attract more students. The unions stressed the need for expert-led training for teachers and appreciated the recent hiring of new resource persons. They also suggested providing counseling for teachers by psychologists to keep them motivated. Improving the inspection system and assigning teachers more effectively were also proposed.
Unions said that giving government schools a fresh look and taking action against private schools that break rules would help build trust. They also recommended having regular planning meetings, assigning one teacher per class, and launching a Spoken English Programme to improve students’ communication skills.
They called for a revision of the current textbook syllabus to match today’s needs. On the management side, they asked for regular appointments of District and Mandal Educational Officers and more school monitoring.
The unions also highlighted the importance of sports and physical education in every school. They said officials should visit successful schools to learn from them and suggested reducing non-teaching duties for teachers. Temporary teachers should be hired to cover for teachers on maternity leave or deputation.
To motivate teachers and raise awareness, the unions suggested sharing success stories through media and recognizing the best teachers through an official selection process, rather than relying on applications.
Dr. Rana spoke personally with union representatives and assured them that the Education Department would work closely with teachers to improve government schools.
The meeting was also attended by A. Sridevasena, Commissioner of College and Technical Education; M. Haritha, Special Secretary of the Education Department; and all Additional Directors of the School Education Department.
