Telangana Budget: Education Gets ₹26,674 Crore From Budget

Hyderabad:Telangana’s Budget has allocated Rs 26,674 crore for education in 2026-27, taking the sector’s share in the overall Budget allocations to 8.23 per cent compared to last year’s 7.58 per cent.

The allocation covers pre-primary expansion and government schools to universities and skill training, alongside new flagship programmes and long-pending structural proposals.

Of this, Rs 21,231 crore has been allocated to secondary education, with Rs 16,458 from establishments and Rs 4,773 for schemes, and Rs 5,443 crore for higher education, with Rs 3,263 and Rs 2,180 for establishments and schemes respectively.

The major spending will be on Young India Integrated Residential Schools, Telangana Public Schools, Osmania University and Veeranari Chakali Ilamma Mahila University, several new colleges under universities and also a new university Dr Manmohan Singh Earth Sciences University.

“The future of any nation is built through education. Recognising this truth, the government is taking steps towards bringing about historic changes in the education sector,” said Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka who holds the finance portfolio.

The state government’s spending on education has increased over the last three years from Rs 19,093 crore in 2023-24, rose to Rs 21,292 crore in 2024-25, and Rs 23,108 crore in 2025-26 before touching Rs 26,674 crore this year. Yet, the state government’s expenditure on education remains below the 18 per cent funding recommended by the Telangana Education Commission (TEC) and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s plan to gradually raise the allocation made to education from seven per cent to 15 per cent.

In Secondary Education, the Telangana Public Schools have been allocated 500 crore, with around 100 government schools to be upgraded into integrated campuses covering pre-primary to Class XII, with a stated plan to scale up to 200. The proposal is as per TEC’s recommendations from its Education Policy 2026 where a single institution covers all grades with improved facilities and transport access.

Young India Integrated Residential Schools continue as a long-term investment, with a Rs 5,000 crore investment, and an announcement of 105 YIIR across all constituencies. These campuses are designed to bring SC, ST, BC, Minority and OC students into a single residential system, alongside existing Gurukul and welfare residential institutions.

Higher education gets a mix of new institutions, college expansion and university grants. Osmania University gets `1,000 crore for development works, and Veeranari Chakali Ilamma Women’s University gets `400 crore. “The state government has resolved to improve academic standards in our universities on the lines of Oxford and Stanford Universities,” said Bhatti.

The government has also created Dr Manmohan Singh Earth Sciences University in Bhadradri Kothagudem district for geosciences and mineral sciences.

Several engineering, pharmacy and law colleges were sanctioned under several universities, including Telangana University, Mahatma Gandhi University and more. Skill development and vocational education are tied into the education budget through polytechnic upgrades and training centres.

Though the Budget allocations sit alongside the TEC recommendations released in February 2026, many governance proposals remain left out. No allocation or announcement addresses the proposed teacher assessment body, changes to teacher promotions or pay structures.

The Telangana State United Teachers’ Federation has flagged these gaps, described the budget as “a populist exercise with little realism” and said allocations fall short of the 15 per cent promised in the manifesto for the third year in a row. They welcomed the expansion of student support schemes and the `1,056 crore allocation for the employees’ health scheme, but raised concerns about the absence of any mention of pay revision, pending dearness allowances, bills, and retirement dues.