Consultations with all stakeholders before introducing it

Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari on Saturday asserted that the TRS government was committed and determined to implement its ambitious programme of KG to PG Free Education Scheme and make it a model concept for the entire country.

Stating this during question hour in the Telangana Assembly, Srihari sought to dispel apprehensions expressed by members that the government was trying to weaken the scheme. He said a comprehensive document was being prepared in this regard for implementing the scheme at the earliest. The Deputy Chief Minister explained that the government would hold wide discussions with all the stakeholders like the parents, teachers, educationists, etc., and then take the action for implementation of the scheme. The suggestion of the members for including the scheme from nursery level would be considered, he said.

In reply to another question, Srihari said the government had made an allocation Rs 100 crore for the scheme during the financial year 2015-16. As regards the enforcement of Right to Education Act, he assured that the government would take all steps to enforce it. We would hold wide consultations with all in these aspects before implementing them, he explained. Congress member T Jeevan Reddy recalled that the KG to PG Free Education Scheme was promised by the TRS party during the elections and the same had also been incorporated in the party’s election manifesto. The Chief Minister must have studied all the intricacies involved in the scheme before incorporating in the election manifesto. Hence where was the need for delaying the scheme for the sake of wide consultations, he asked and also wanted to know what the government would do with regard to the implementation of RTE ( Right to Education) Act.

The Congress member insisted for enforcing RTE specially to provide 25 per cent reservations for the poor and the Telugu medium students for admissions in private educational institutions.

The Deputy Chief Minister reiterated that there was no need for the members to have any apprehensions regarding the government’s commitment to provide free and quality education to students in the State. The KG to PG scheme was aimed at this and the wide consultations was only to ensure that there would be no hiccups in implementing this programme, he added.

Source: THI