Nalgonda MP Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the much-hyped Mana Ooru, Mana Badi scheme announced by the TRS government had turned out to be yet another hoax.
Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy today said that the much-hyped Mana Ooru, Mana Badi scheme announced by the TRS government had turned out to be yet another hoax as nothing had been done to improve the conditions of the government schools in Telangana.
"The next academic year is beginning next week, but the TRS government has neither upgraded the schools nor filled any vacancies. A new scheme Mana Ooru, Mana Badi was announced in February 2022 to upgrade 9,123 out of over 26,000 schools for Rs 3,497 crore. However, only administrative sanction was accorded through GO No 4 dated February 3, 2022. The money needed was not approved by the finance department. Therefore, the announcement proved to be a hoax as no funds were released or spent for the upgradation of the schools," Reddy said.
Speaking to media persons, the Congress MP and ex-TPCC chief said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had come to power in 2014 on the promise of giving free KG-to-PG education.
"However, despite being in power for eight years now, KCR has still done nothing to fulfil the promise. He is still making promises that his government will upgrade the schools. Through Mana Ooru, Mana Badi some schools were upgraded from funds received through private donations. The State government itself did not release adequate funds to upgrade the proposed 35% of the schools in the State," he said.
The Congress leader added that the TRS government had been promising English medium education in government schools without first filling about 30,000 teachers' posts. Similarly, no measures had been taken to fill the teaching posts in the B. Ed. colleges. Of 166 posts, as many as 152 teaching posts were vacant. And of the 538 sanctioned posts of Mandal Education Officers (MEOs), only 20 had been filled. District Education Officers (DEOs) were there for 10 districts of 33. Many posts like Principal, Head Master, and even Attenders had stayed vacant under the TRS rule, Reddy claimed.
"KCR never gave prominence to the education sector, and his government in fact gradually brought down the budget allocation for education with each passing year. As against an allocation of 10.89% of the total budget for education in 2014-15, the allocation was 9.68% in 2015-16; 8.23% in 2016-17; 8.49% in 2017-18; 7.61% in 2018-19; 6.76% in 2019-20; 6.69% in 2020-21; 6.78% in 2021-22 and 6.24% in 2022-23. According to a report of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Telangana ranks at the bottom of the 29 States in terms of spending on education," he said.
Reddy demanded that the TRS government release the statistics of the targets achieved as part of the Mana Ooru, Mana Badi program.
"The TRS ministers only inaugurated the schools which were upgraded with private donations, and showcased a few other schools in which some facilities were improved. In reality, there has been no change in the condition of the government schools since 2014," he said, adding that lakhs of students were still forced to sit in old dilapidated buildings with no toilets, electricity, drinking water supply, furniture or a green chalkboard facilities.
The Congress MP said that the neglect of the education sector by the TRS government was hurting the SCs, STs, BCs, minorities and other weaker sections. Non-upgradation of schools had also deprived the farmers of quality education for their children, he alleged.
The MP addressed people in various villages and thandas of the Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency as part of the Rachabanda / Rythu Bharosa Yatra which entered its 20th day on Saturday. Reddy has so far covered 136 villages and two municipalities in five Assembly constituencies of the proposed 320 villages and three municipalities to be covered in 45 days as part of the Rythu Bharosa Yatra aimed at enlightening the farmers about the Warangal Declaration unveiled by AICC leader Rahul Gandhi.
Former MLA N Padmavathi Reddy also participated in the yatra.