Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday said his government is considering the introduction of pre-primary classes for underprivileged children to provide them with quality education.
This initiative, he said, would help retain these children in government schools for their primary education instead of them shifting to private institutions.
As part of the plan, the government is also considering offering free transportation, breakfast, lunch, and evening snacks to children attending the pre-primary classes, he added.
Reddy was speaking after inaugurating the ‘Young India’ Police School, set up in Hyderabad for the children of police personnel.
He said there are currently 18.5 lakh students studying in 29,500 government schools across the state. In contrast, 36 lakh students are enrolled in just 11,500 private schools, he added.
Reddy pointed out that the educational qualifications of teachers in government schools are far better than those in private institutions.
Reflecting on the shortcomings in the government education system, he noted that government schools admit students into Class 1 only after the age of five, while private schools enroll children from the age of three. It becomes difficult to attract children to government schools for Class 1 admissions when they have already undergone pre-primary education in private institutions, Reddy observed.
Therefore, the government is actively considering starting ‘play schools’ to offer pre-primary education to children from economically weaker sections, he added.
