Hyderabad: Faced with a widening gap in basic amenities across government schools, the Telangana School Education Department is rolling out a new plan: use CSR funds from the corporate sector to bring classrooms into the 21st century. The first stop? Kodangal constituency in Vikarabad district, where around 200 schools will be part of a pilot project.
The idea is to use these corporate contributions to build science labs, set up computer centres, and install digital classrooms—resources that are still out of reach for many public schools in the state. Officials are hoping this approach can help make up for long-standing infrastructure shortfalls.
The numbers paint a stark picture. As per the latest UDISE (2023–24) data, 55% of Telangana’s 26,106 government schools have no science labs, and just a quarter feature digital boards. About 2,000 schools still lack functional girls’ toilets, and thousands are missing boundary walls. Toilets overall? Only 89% of schools have usable ones.
Compared to national averages, Telangana lags behind in several key areas. That’s why the government is now actively courting companies to spend their mandatory CSR budgets on school upgrades. Under the Companies Act, firms with a net worth of ₹500 crore, or turnover of ₹1,000 crore, or ₹5 crore in annual profits must spend 2% of profits on CSR activities.
If the Kodangal pilot works, the state plans to replicate it in more districts, using private partnerships to bridge the public education gap.