Murali Resigns as Education Panel Chief

Hyderabad:Akunuri Murali resigned as the chairperson of the Telangana Education Commission on Friday, around four months before his two-year tenure was set to complete, as the commission had finished its task by submitting its recommendations to the state government.

In a letter addressed to Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao dated May 22, Murali thanked the Telangana government for the opportunity to serve as chairperson. He said he was stepping down after submitting the commission’s comprehensive report on education reforms.

The Telangana Education Commission was constituted in September 2024 to prepare a long-term roadmap for reforms in school and higher education. Murali, known for his work in governance and education policy, was appointed chairperson for a two year term.

The commission recently submitted its “Education Policy for Telangana 2026” report to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. A few recommendations in the report triggered sharp criticism from political parties, teachers’ unions and education groups across the state.

Among the most debated proposals was the recommendation to abolish the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education and merge Intermediate education into the school education system.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and teachers’ associations held protests in different districts opposing the proposals and accused the commission of preparing recommendations without understanding ground realities and drafting policy suggestions from “air-conditioned rooms” without adequate field-level study.