TEC Hearing Flags Gaps in Inter Education
Parents spoke about the unaffordability of Intermediate education and said vocational guidance and fee regulation were missing from the conversation.
Hyderabad: The Telangana Education Commission’s (TEC) public hearing on Intermediate education held on Wednesday at the SCERT campus opened a channel for students, parents, teachers, NGOs and policymakers to speak directly about structural issues facing the state’s junior colleges. From lack of access in rural areas to the unchecked rise of unregulated private colleges, the testimonies made it clear that the system, as it stands, is failing those who cannot afford parallel coaching or travel long distances.
A girl from Kapra mandal shared how the absence of a government junior college in her locality forced her to consider dropping out, even though she hoped to write the civil services exam. Her brother did not let her enrol in a welfare residential school until former IAS officer Akunuri Murali intervened and explained the Gurukul system.
Parents spoke about the unaffordability of Intermediate education and said vocational guidance and fee regulation were missing from the conversation. Several civil society organisations flagged mobile addiction, dropout rates and the need for better teacher support systems. Lecturers, too, pointed to the erosion of trust in government colleges, which they said suffered from underfunding, broken infrastructure and low visibility.
According to the Government Junior Lecturers Association, over 90 percent of students are now enrolled in private colleges, many of which advertise falsely or operate without regulation. Experts also argued that EAMCET and other entrance exams had skewed the purpose of Intermediate education and were reducing it to a stepping stone for coaching centres rather than a stage for academic growth.
A few suggestions on record included appointing mandal-level officers for supervision, reviving libraries and physical education in junior colleges and reconsidering whether EAMCET should continue to dominate the academic calendar. Discussions touched upon the need for better nutrition, semi-residential schooling, separate funding systems and linking intermediate education to higher goals beyond entrance exams. NGOs called for financial literacy, access to mental health resources and bridging rural-urban divides through Gurukula awareness and CSR engagement.
Prof. P.L. Vishweshwar Rao, member of the TEC, said the Commission’s focus is on expanding access and improving quality within government institutions. “Our goal is to bring students back to government colleges. Residential schools are a part of that. So is reviewing popular streams like MPC and BPC. TEC had earlier proposed a Telangana Public School model, where nursery to intermediate classes share a single campus. But this is not about abolishing the Intermediate Board. It is about making government schools capable of delivering good education.”