Telangana CM announces annual foreign study tours for government teachers to enhance skills
Hyderabad (TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday announced that government teachers in the State will be provided opportunities for foreign study tours every year to gain global exposure and upgrade their teaching skills.
Interacting with delegates from Finland and Germany during the Exposure programme in Hyderabad, the Chief Minister said the initiative would be designed on the lines of study visits undertaken by IAS and IPS officers to improve administrative knowledge and expertise.
“From now on, we will provide teachers with opportunities to go abroad for further studies. Plans should be prepared to ensure that the government bears the required costs for quality education,” the Chief Minister said.
The CM directed officials to submit a comprehensive report by December outlining the action plan for the next academic year, with every mandal to be considered as a cluster for implementing education reforms.
Revanth Reddy said the government’s education initiatives were aimed at providing quality learning opportunities for poor students and were not driven by political considerations.
He emphasised that lack of education, rather than financial or social status, was the real form of backwardness.
Highlighting the government’s spending on education, the Chief Minister said the State was spending ₹1.08 lakh per student annually.
He said parents were spending around ₹50,000 on children studying in private schools and stressed the need to understand why families continue to prefer private institutions.
He termed the enrolment of one lakh additional students in government schools this year as a significant achievement and said initiatives such as breakfast, midday meals and uniform distribution had brought a major transformation in school education.
Responding to opposition demands seeking his resignation as Education Minister, Revanth Reddy questioned the criticism against the government’s education reforms.
“Why should I resign from the Education portfolio? Is it because breakfast is being provided from nursery to Class 12, teacher recruitment and promotions are being managed, ITIs are being transformed into Advanced Training Centres, and a Skills University has been established?” he asked.
The Chief Minister said the government had introduced several reforms in government schools and aimed to transform them into world-class institutions.
He urged teachers’ associations to focus not only on their own concerns but also on issues affecting students.
“Teachers should create awareness among students about the importance of education and provide suggestions to improve the system. Let us dedicate five years to society and work towards making Telangana a role model for the nation,” he said.
Revanth Reddy highlighted the importance of global exposure for students and said merely learning English was not enough for success.
Citing countries such as Germany, Japan, Singapore and China, he said students should be prepared with skills and knowledge to compete globally.
The Chief Minister also stressed the role of teachers in shaping society, stating that children spend more time with teachers than parents and therefore teachers carry equal responsibility in their development.
TNT TS
