Hyderabad: Educationists and activists on Friday called for the regulation of private school fees and comprehensive strengthening of govt schools in the state. Speaking at a roundtable meet held at the Press Club on Friday, panelist Akunuri Murali, a retired IAS officer along with members of Telangana People’s Front called for the recommendations of the Telangana Education Commission (TEC) to be implemented at the earliest.“We call for a Private School Fee Regulation Bill be passed by the legislature and that private schools be brought under an independent regulatory mechanism,” said N Rubina, a social activist present on the panel.“A people’s campaign was launched to implement the Telangana Education Commission report and the report contained more than 400 recommendations that needed to be implemented,” said committee member P Srujana Yadav.Discussing solutions, Ambika N, a participant at the event, said, “Strengthening govt schools through capacity building of teachers, compulsory assessments and rewarding committed teachers remains crucial.”“Telangana currently spends around 6% to 7% of its state GDP on education and that this be raised to 18% initially, followed by progressive annual increases,” said a panelist, who was a part of the discussion.“We should ensure that every village has at least one school and that these schools are accessible to as many students as possible,” said the panelists and participants, pointing to the lack of schools in some villages and calling for at least one school in every village.
