Revanth Reddy seeks two years to resolve teachers’ demands, announces new education policy

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday announced that his government would soon introduce a new education policy aimed at improving the quality of education, skill development and innovation.

Addressing Teachers' Day celebrations at a government junior college in Kodangal, Reddy, who also holds the education portfolio, urged teachers to remain committed to strengthening the education system and said their grievances could be addressed through dialogue rather than protests.

Reddy sought two years to resolve the pending demands of teachers based on the state's financial position. He said teachers could judge the government's performance at the ballot if their issues remained unresolved after that period.

“Protests are not a good sign for the state,” Reddy said, adding that the government's doors were open to discuss pending issues.

The chief minister also criticised the previous BRS government, referring to an accumulated debt burden of Rs 8.50 lakh crore. He said the retirement age had been raised to 60 without adequate retirement benefits, leaving many retired employees in difficulty.

Reddy said his government had paid Rs 6,000 crore in retirement benefits during its two years in office. He also highlighted the setting up of an Education Commission and work on the proposed new education policy, besides implementing a revised pay commission after assuming office.

On the ongoing agitation over polytechnic colleges, Reddy accused opposition parties of spreading misinformation to put pressure on the government. He said the administration remained willing to address concerns surrounding the issue.

Reddy also highlighted what he described as improvements in the education sector under his government. He said Telangana had moved from 28th to 17th position nationally in an education ranking, attributing the improvement to the efforts of teachers.

He said enrolment in government schools had increased by 88,000 over two years and claimed that polytechnic colleges had recorded a 95 per cent admission rate.

Listing measures taken by his government, Reddy said 10,006 teacher posts were filled through the DSC recruitment process within 55 days, while 25,950 teachers were promoted and 34,706 teachers transferred without reported disputes.

He also said the government had resolved the GO 317 issue and sent teachers abroad on study tours.