Hyderabad: The CPI(M) Telangana state committee has opposed the reported proposal to consolidate government schools across the state, alleging that the move could adversely affect students from rural, Dalit and tribal communities.
In a statement, CPM state secretary John Wesley criticised the proposal reportedly under consideration by the state government to reduce nearly 23,000 government schools to around 4,000 institutions.
He argued that the plan could weaken access to education and increase dropout rates among economically disadvantaged students.
Government schools need strengthening, says CPM
John Wesley said the government should focus on strengthening government schools instead of reducing their numbers.
He alleged that the administration was neglecting the education sector by failing to provide adequate budget allocations, infrastructure and staffing.
According to him, the government was not allocating even 8.2 percent of the budget to education.
He also claimed that many schools lacked basic infrastructure and sufficient teaching and non-teaching staff.
Further, the CPM leader urged the government to improve enrolment and ensure the availability of a government school in every village.
Meanwhile, the party also criticised the Telangana Public Service Commission’s decision to increase application processing fees.
John Wesley condemned the reported five-fold hike in TGPSC application fees from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000.
He said the increase would impose an additional financial burden on unemployed youth.
The CPM leader noted that many job aspirants were already struggling with coaching expenses and delays in recruitment notifications.
Additionally, he demanded that the government withdraw the revised fee structure immediately.
He also called for large-scale recruitment drives to fill vacant government posts across departments.