MAHESH AVADHUTHA I hyderabad

The Telangana government’s sustained focus on strengthening the education sector is beginning to pay visible dividends, as a record number of students are migrating from private to government schools across the state in the ongoing academic year. So far, nearly 50,000 students from classes II to X have enrolled in government-run schools — a sharp rise of almost 50% compared to last year’s figure of 34,000.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has time and again underscored that education, skilling, and employment remain top priorities for his administration. The recent enrollment surge seems to be an early endorsement of that vision. Admissions are expected to rise further, as the government allows enrolments up to the first week of August.

Senior officials at the Director of School Education (DSE) attributed this trend to the early launch of the “Badibata” enrolment initiative. “We started the campaign in the first week of May this year, much earlier than usual. Typically, it begins in the last week of May. The head-start clearly helped,” they said. With 691 government schools and nearly 5000 teachers, Hyderabad tops the list with 5632 student migrations and counting. District Education Officer R. Rohini explained the reasons behind this success:

“Infrastructure works in 380 schools — including smart classrooms, drinking water facilities, and renovation of toilets — made a huge difference. We also hired 586 new teachers last year. With free uniforms and textbooks, parents found enough reason to shift their children to government schools.”

Siddipet too has shown a dramatic jump — from 2545 migrations last year to 4271 this year, an increase of more than 67%. The district is home to 980 government schools, 14 Model Schools, and 23 KGBVs (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas). Education officials credited this leap to focused efforts at improving school infrastructure:

“The Collector personally monitored school renovation works — computer labs, classroom upgrades, kitchens, and toilets — especially in villages. Teachers also presented these changes during gram sabhas, which influenced parental decisions.” Educational experts see this as more than a numbers game. R. Venkat Reddy, National Convenor of MV Foundation, said:

“This migration can be interpreted in multiple ways. One is the growing confidence among parents in government schools. Many families simply can’t afford the skyrocketing fees of private schools. But most importantly, teacher unions and educators put in genuine grassroots work — even taking oaths to treat new students like their own children.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, student migration to government schools peaked as parents struggled with fees while private schools remained largely shut. However, the momentum had slowed down in the years following. Now, nearly five years later, this resurgence is viewed as a turning point.