Teachers must become partners in social development: Telangana Dy CM Bhatti

Hyderabad, Nov 15 (TNT) : Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Sunday called upon teachers to go beyond classroom teaching and play an active role in social development by understanding the family and socio-economic conditions of students.

Addressing the State Education Conference of the School Teachers Federation (STF) at the Engineering Association Building in Khairatabad here, he said education was the most effective instrument of social transformation and the Congress government was committed to strengthening public education to enable Telangana’s youth to compete at national and international levels.

Inaugurating the conference, Bhatti said a student’s overall development depended not only on classroom education but also on family environment, nutrition, economic conditions and social background.

Teachers should therefore guide students and their parents about government welfare schemes and ensure that eligible families received the benefits, he said.

Recalling the vision behind the establishment of STF during the tenure of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, he urged teachers to continue the tradition of serving as guides to students, families and society.

He said the government had addressed several long-pending issues of teachers by providing promotions to thousands, filling around 11,000 teacher vacancies and carrying out transfers of nearly 30,000 to 35,000 teachers.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the government was establishing 105 Young India Integrated Residential Schools across Telangana, with at least one institution planned in every Assembly constituency.

Each school was being developed on 20 to 25 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore, with facilities for education, accommodation, sports and co-curricular activities on international standards, he said.

The integrated schools were aimed at providing a common educational environment for children from all communities, eliminating caste and class divisions and promoting equality from an early age, he said.

The government was also planning around 100 Telangana Public Schools under a semi-residential model to provide quality education while allowing children to retain family relationships and values, he said students would be provided transport, uniforms, textbooks, breakfast and lunch, besides opportunities for sports and other activities.

He said breakfast was being provided to around 27 lakh students across the State through centralised kitchens, with milk and ragi malt served on alternate days.

Diet charges in residential schools had been increased by 40 per cent and cosmetic charges by 200 per cent as part of efforts to improve student welfare, he said.

Emphasising the importance of family conditions in children’s education, he said the government was implementing the Indiramma Indlu scheme with financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh per eligible household.

Approvals had been given for eight lakh houses so far. The government was also providing 200 units of free electricity and distributing fine rice to support poor families, he said.

Pensions and other welfare measures were also being implemented to ensure that economic difficulties did not prevent children from pursuing education, he said, urging teachers to create awareness among parents about the schemes and help eligible families access them.

Bhatti said teachers should emerge as catalysts of social transformation rather than confining themselves to their duties as government employees. Their contribution should be such that future generations remember them with pride, he added.

Assuring teachers that the government was ready to consider their demands, he said government employees were now receiving salaries on the first of every month. Despite inheriting a debt burden of Rs 8.21 lakh crore from the previous government, the State was repaying around Rs 6,500 crore in debt every month while ensuring timely salary payments, he said.

He said the government had also fulfilled the long-pending demand for cashless health cards for employees and teachers and was gradually clearing pending bills by releasing Rs 750 crore to Rs 1,000 crore every month.

Referring to the contributions of philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, he said teachers had a greater responsibility in shaping society and urged STF members to uphold high standards of public service.

Former MLA Kichanna Lakshmi Reddy, STF State President Devarakonda Saidulu, General Secretary Pochayya, Professor Vishweshwar Rao and others attended the conference.

TNT TS