Hyderabad: SFI demands enhanced budget outlay for education sector

Hyderabad: The Telangana state committee of Students Federation of India has demanded 30 per cent of budget funds for the education sector and asked the government to develop universities in the state. On Friday, SFI state president RL Murthy and general secretary Nagaraju criticised the state government for its failure to improve education sector. State budget allocations to education sector had been witnessing gradual decrease ever since the new state was formed, they said.

While budget allocation to the sector was 10.89 per cent in 2014, it gradually decreased to 7.6 per cent in 2019-20. Most of the government schools lack basic facilities such as toilets, compound walls, drinking water and electricity. There is a shortage of 11,000 additional classrooms in the state. Government teachers are forced to seek donations from people for maintenance of schools, they lamented.

Teaching and non-teaching staff working in 400 junior colleges were facing inconvenience due to delay in salary payments. Explaining dismal state of universities in the state, they said that the state government allocated only Rs 450 crore, while the universities sent proposals for Rs 1,164 crore. The state budget had no mention about vacant lecturer posts in various government junior, degree and PG colleges, he lamented. Whereas 13.3 lakh students applied for scholarships in the year 2018-19 and 2019-20, which required Rs 4,170 crore, the state government allocated only Rs 2830 crore. Murthy demanded the state government to implement the recommendation made by Kothari Commission and allocate more than 30 per cent for education sector.