Published Aug 03, 2024 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 03, 2024 | 9:00 AM
Revanth Reddy (X)
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is warming up to the government teachers’ community. He has conceded their decades-long demand for promotions by taking steps to ensure 30,000 teachers get to their next post on the ladder.
This is one crucial demand expected to endear the teachers’ community to Revanth Reddy. For decades, teachers have been working without promotions and there were instances of several teachers retiring without getting even one promotion in their entire service.
With local body elections around the corner, the chief minister appears to be trying to enlist their support for capturing the maximum number of panchayats.
At a public meeting at LB Stadium on Friday, 2 August, the chief minister, during his power-packed address, admitted that the teachers’ support was required for his party to romp home in the next elections.
Taking part in a festive atmosphere that had permeated the venue after the government gave the teachers promotions and effected 35,000 transfers, the chief minister said that he was available for the teachers whenever they want to address their problems.
He said he was all ears to listen to the problems of teachers, who are building the future of Telangana. As many schools do not have toilets and no staff to do sanitation work on the premises of the schools, he said he would address the issue of construction of toilets and entrust self-help groups the work of keeping the school clean.
Also, the chief minister announced free power supply to all the government schools, since most of the time, they went without electricity as the education department does not pay power bills in time. As the state government was providing power supply free to farmers and to domestic consumers who use up to 200 units, he thought it would be pertinent to provide power supply free to schools as without electricity the computers in schools do not work and hamper instruction.
“I know in almost all schools, teachers hire sanitation workers and pay them wages from their pockets as the government had not bothered about posting sanitation staff. Henceforth, the self-help groups would take care of the work. The government would pay wages to them,” the chief minister said.
He made an impassioned plea to teachers to strengthen the state government in its efforts to build Telangana. “The future of the state depends on you. You teach the children of people from tribal, SC and BC communities in villages. If you do your job well, we will have a vibrant Telangana,” he said, underscoring the point that the teachers in private schools were no better than them and yet parents preferred the private schools.
The chief minister said he wanted this trend to change and it would be possible if the teachers put their heart and soul in teaching the children of the poor.
“There are 30,000 government schools in the state in which 26 lakh students are studying. At the same time, there are 10,000 private schools in which 30 lakh students are there,” he said, expressing his desire that the teachers make government schools more attractive.
“I, as the head of the government would take care of the needs of all the schools and teachers and you do your part in building the future Telangana,” he said.
The chief minister also outlined the features of Young India Skill Univercity for which, he laid the foundation stone in Rangareddy district on Thursday, 1 August. He said that, in this university there would be courses in 17 disciplines and said its aim was to provide and hone the skills of the youths required by the industry. He said he the state government and Tata group have taken up a joint programme to train students in the 65 ITIs in the state. Of the Rs 2,400 crore required for this project, the state government would bear only 18 percent of the expenditure while the Tatas would bear the remainder in training the students in various skills that help them in their professions, the chief minister said.
(Edited by Neena)
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