Hyderabad: A new proposal from the Telangana Education Commission (TGEC) is causing concern among nearly 10,000 private budget schools across the state. The TGEC’s draft report recommends that all schools reserve 25% of seats for students from economically weaker and backward communities, as part of implementing the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
The Telangana Recognised School Managements Association (TRSMA) has voiced its worries. While the association supports the idea behind the RTE Act, it says schools are not in a financial position to take on this responsibility without government help.
TRSMA leaders argue that the state’s ongoing financial crisis, acknowledged by the Chief Minister, makes it difficult for schools to survive, let alone offer free education to more students. They pointed out that funds under the “Best Available School” scheme haven’t been released for the past three years. Additionally, many schools that accommodate Gurukul institutions have not received rent payments for long periods.
On behalf of budget schools, TRSMA has urged the government to rethink the TGEC recommendation. Instead of pushing this burden onto private schools, they suggest the government directly support students financially. This would allow families to pick the schools that suit them best, including corporate institutions.
K. Sanjeeva Reddy, TRSMA president from Karimnagar, said, “Providing funds to families will give them the freedom to choose better schools for their children.”
TRSMA also raised concerns about the lack of fairness in TGEC’s policies. For example, while the commission wants to convert all Telugu-medium schools to English medium, it hasn’t made similar recommendations for other language schools such as Urdu, Kannada, or Marathi. This selective approach has sparked criticism.
The group also questioned why minority-run schools aren’t being held to the same standards. According to officials in the Telangana School Education Department, several institutions operating under a minority status are admitting more non-minority students than allowed by law. This violates the rules for maintaining minority status.
An official stated, “Some schools have held minority status for years, but the majority of their students are not from minority communities. That’s against the rules. The government has the authority to revoke their minority status.”
Moreover, these schools are reportedly collecting donations and high admission fees from non-minority students—similar to regular private schools. Despite this, authorities have not enforced any rule requiring them to admit a set number of students from underprivileged backgrounds.
TRSMA and school leaders are now calling for a more balanced and inclusive approach. They urge the state to ensure that all schools—minority or not—follow fair policies that support the education of disadvantaged children without harming the institutions trying to provide it.
