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Reform Telangana School Education by Adopting KV Model

By: Gautam Pingle

HYDERABAD: The school education budget for 2012-13 in undivided AP was Rs 16,990 crore and Telangana’s share would be approximately Rs 7,100 crore. The number of school students in Telangana is 61 lakhs and they study in 39,603 schools of which 12,722 are private schools.

District-wise distribution of schools is uneven as can be seen from the Table. However, the main issue is standards of schools. It is perceived, even by poorer sections of the Telangana population, that private school education with English-medium teaching is superior to that in government schools. While this may be the perception it also has a considerable basis in terms of academic standards, teacher attendance, etc.

The question before the government should be on how to raise the standards to national levels, in order to persuade all sections to avail free government education. How is this to be done? Raising overall standards of teachers and methods of teaching, introducing English medium and improved curriculum and infrastructure, etc will take time and a great deal of perseverance. One radical way to stimulate this reform is to adopt the Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) model which is considered by all to be the best in the&nbs p;country.

These Central government schools are based on national curricula, English medium and strong Hindi component and ease of transfer of student from any KV location in the country to another KV. It makes a great deal of sense for the Telangana government to request the Union ministry of human resources development (HRD) to help them reform and revitalise the state school system. The HRD should set up one KV in each district of Telangana with all the relevant facilities including hostels. This would set visible sta ndards.

To this end the Telangana government should offer to provide 10-20 acres of land free and also to pay the capital and annual costs of these ten KVs. This state support will make the request easier to accept by the Centre. In these Telangana KVs students from within the district will be admitted based on their merit.

A serious Telugu module dealing with Telugu literature, Telangana history and culture, etc must be added. Science education based on laboratory work, physical education, games, civic responsibilities, health and nutrition knowledge should be part of the reform curricula. The KVs could also grow vegetables for their own consumption with help from younger students. Older students could learn practical skills which could be useful even for making them employable anywhere in the country. Others would go on to higher education.

The Telangana KVs will be administered as per normal HRD guidelines. Once these KVs start functioning, the existing government schools can be consolidated and converted into the reformed schools based on KV standards. Telangana NRIs can then be induced to come forward to fund such reformed schools in or near their native villages. The students that emerge from these reformed schools will make Telangana’s future.

Not only will they be able to find employment anywhere in the country but their self confidence in obtaining an excellent education will make them good citizens. If the new Telangana state can do this over the next decade – the progress of the state will follow in due course as the empowered youth take over their responsibilities to develop themselves, the state and the nation.

DR GAUTAM PINGLE
13, PINGLE VENKATRAM BAGH
BEGUMPET
HYDERABAD 500016
TELANGANA
INDIA

Telephones:+91-40-6456 0304; +91-40-4017 3050
Mob: +91-98496 39689
E-MAIL: gautam.pingle@gmail.com

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