Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has hailed that on a single day all over the state as many as 169 Residential Schools have started out of 255 planned for the academic year 2017-18.
The Chief Minister has congratulated the officials concerned for starting the Residential Schools on the first day of the academic year beginning aimed at imparting quality education on par with the international standards among the SC/ST/BC and Minorities. He called upon the students who joined these schools to take inspiration from Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Babasaheb Ambedkar and come up in life. He said he is happy that as per the promise given in the election manifesto, the beginning for KG to PG education for the weaker and backward sections children has begun with the Residential Schools.
KCR said that before the formation of the Telangana State there were only 259 Residential Schools for SC/ST/BC and Minorities and within three years of forming the state the government has taken the number to 527 and total schools will be 786 in future. Half of the Residential Schools are exclusively meant for the girls to encourage them, providing facilities and protection. On each student the government will be spending Rs 1.25 Lakh per year on an average. He said that in the government Residential Schools free education, meals and boarding is given to the students till Intermediate level.
The Chief Minister said that his aim is to make even the poor student to get quality education and attain higher places in the society. He said that the government has started in a big way residential Schools with English a medium of instruction so that the students passed out of these institutions should lead the country in future and wanted the students take the best advantage of it. He also said that students passed out of the Residential Schools getting good ranks in the admission tests like the EAMCET, IIT JEE and getting into prestigious institutions in the country.
169 schools on a single day, another 71 within a week
On the first day of beginning of academic year 2017-18 on Monday 169 Residential Schools have started. Of this, 119 for BCs, 50 for Minorities. On June 15, another 50 Residential Schools will commence. On June 19 another 21 schools will, begin for the minorities. Besides this, 15 ST Women Degree Colleges will also start functioning from this academic year. With this, in 2017-18 Academic years the government will be starting 255 Residential Schools. Before formation of Telangana State SCs had 134 Schools. The Telangana government started 104 schools for SCs, 30 Degree Colleges for SC Women in its second year. Before the Telangana state formation, STs had 94 Residential Schools and the government started another 51 last year. This year, for ST women 15 new Residential Colleges will start functioning. Before the formation of the State BCs had 19 Residential while the government started five more in its second year.
There were no minority Residential Schools for minorities under the united AP. The very first year, the Telangana government started 71 new Residential Schools and changed 12 government residential schools as minority schools. This year another 121 Residential Schools are going to be started. With this the number of schools will increase to 204.
Record in setting up of BC Residential Schools
Never in the history or in any state, in Telangana State 119 Residential Schools have begun on a single day. Of this 56 for boys, 63 for girls. In the first year students will be admitted into class V, VI, VII. Each Class will have two sections and in each Residential School 240 students will be admitted. In five years the Classes will be increased to 12th standard, and then each residential school will have strength of 640 students. In five years the strength in BC Residential Schools will be 91,520. Last year 71 Schools started for the Minorities and this year 121. Admissions will be upgraded to 8th standard this year.
As on date, in Minority residential Schools, 50,000 students were given admission. In the coming five years, it will reach 1.30 Lakh. In BC/ST/SC/Minorities Residential (Barring Degree colleges in 741) schools 4,74,240 students will get an opportunity. Presently these schools are operating from rented premises. The Collectors are asked to identify and procure land for these institutions. It is estimated that 24,000 teachers are needed for these institutions. The process to appoint them in phased manner has already begun. The government has instructed the Telangana Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society to supply uniforms to the students. The government will supply the necessary text books and note books. (INN)