Telangana to introduce preschool system in govt schools
Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy announced that a preschool system will soon be introduced in government schools to strengthen early education in the state. Currently, government schools offer classes from Nursery to Class 10.
The chief minister made this announcement after inaugurating the ambitious Young India Police School (YIPS) at Manchirevula on Thursday. The foundation stone for the school was laid on October 21 last year, on Police Martyrs’ Memorial Day. The school is dedicated to the children of police personnel and the classes will begin from the next academic year.
Speaking on the occasion, Revanth Reddy stressed the need for early childhood education reforms. He said the government is considering introducing a preschool system comprising Nursery, LKG, and UKG for underprivileged children to ensure their continued primary education in government schools.
“I strongly believe that the future of the country lies in the classrooms. Our classrooms must be strengthened if we want a bright future for India,” he said.
The chief minister reiterated the government’s commitment to prioritising education, employment, and health. He also highlighted the discrepancy in admissions in both government-run and private schools. Notably, there are 29,000 government schools with 18.5 lakh students while enrollment figures in 11,500 private schools have crossed the 30 lakh mark.
“Despite highly qualified teachers in government schools, many parents prefer private institutions. We must introspect and identify what is going wrong,” the chief minister added.
The chief minister further pointed out that the children start their preschool at a younger age while the child needs to be at least five years old to enroll in a government school. He stated that the pre-primary phase aims to align the age of school admission with that of private institutions.
The government is considering providing breakfast, lunch, and evening snacks to children from economically weaker sections attending such preschool classes, he added.
