Semi-residential schools to come up across State soon

• CM plans semi-residential schools for parent-child bond
• Vande Mataram Foundation event honors 10/10 SSC students, distributes tablets
• CM proud of government school students’ academic achievements
• Govt to rebuild schools, launch enrollment programmes, and fill vacancies
• Students request to provide proper libraries, laboratories

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has announced that the government plans to introduce semi-residential schools aimed at strengthening the bonds between parents and children. This initiative comes in response to a recent study that found the residential education system has been weakening parent-child relationships.

Speaking at an interactive session on Monday at Ravindra Bharathi with Class 10 government school students who secured 10 points in the SSC exam (2023–24), the CM announced plans to introduce semi-residential schools to address family issues. He emphasised that a recent report on residential schools revealed that these schools weaken the bond between parents and their children. To strengthen family bonds, the government plans to introduce semi-residential schools, where students will be provided with breakfast, lunch, and evening snacks and then sent home in the evening to spend quality time with their parents.

The event, organised by the Vande Mataram Foundation, saw the participation of around 230 government school students from across the State. During the event, the Chief Minister presented awards to Class 10 students who secured 10 points in the SSC exams (2023–24) from government schools and also distributed tablets.

Speaking at the interactive session, Revanth Reddy said, “The Vande Mataram Foundation reminded us of our responsibility and that the government should have officially organised such an event. It is a matter of pride for the government that government school students are excelling in their studies more than students in private institutions and competing with corporate schools. 90 per cent of IAS and IPS officers have studied in government schools. All prominent politicians, including myself, have once studied in government schools.”

Highlighting the lack of teachers, he said, “Many government schools were closed by the previous government. This situation arose due to a lack of focus on developing infrastructure and a shortage of teaching staff. Our government has decided not to close single-teacher schools and is committed to providing educational facilities in every village. We have started this work at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore to rebuild all government school buildings that are in a dilapidated condition.

Additionally, the government launched the Professor Jayashankar Badi Bata programme to increase student enrollment in government schools. Recently, a mega DSC notification was released to fill vacant teaching positions across the State. The government will not neglect the schools in the villages. Spending on education is not an expenditure but an investment. Society will benefit from the investment in education.”

Stressing on the Vidya Committee, Revanth Reddy added, “The government will soon constitute education and agriculture commissions to ensure that the problems being faced are addressed continuously. Additionally, the government is ready to receive suggestions.”

The CM directed the education authorities to pay special attention to the admissions of students who secured a 10/10 score in the 10th standard from government schools.

During the interactive session, Bhuvana Khatri, a Class 10 pass-out student from a government school in Warangal, appealed to the Telangana CM, saying, “It would be better if the State government implemented IIT, NEET, and JEE courses available in private schools from Class 5 in government schools. Additionally, all vacant teacher posts should be filled. Along with book knowledge, students should have practical knowledge, so schools should have proper libraries and laboratories.”