The Telangana State Education Commission: A Bureaucratic Approach to Educational Reform | Adama Srinivas Reddy

Abstract:

The Telangana Education Commission aims to reform the state’s education system in response to privatization and unequal access. This paper critiques the bureaucratic tone of Government Order (GO) 27, which outlines objectives like linking pre-primary with primary education and improving skills across levels. However, the commission’s reliance on flawed assessments, such as the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021, and its focus on market-driven skills in higher education, limits its broader educational goals. Concerns over limited academic representation, private funding, and the commission’s two-year tenure suggest the need for a more inclusive, academic approach.

Keywords: Telangana Education Commission, education reform, quality education, equity, privatization.
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By the time of the Telangana statehood movement’s later stages, privatization in education had highly proliferated. Profit-driven institutions were making education increasingly inaccessible to the poor and middle class, with exorbitant fees for schools and colleges. As the entire education system shifted its focus to examinations as the primary method of instruction, the call for a more inclusive, affordable, and quality education from KG to PG for all gained traction. Activists in the Telangana movement promised reforms, raising the hopes of the disadvantaged. However, a decade after the formation of the state, these promises remain unfulfilled, leaving the poor and middle class feeling betrayed.

The Formation of the Telangana Education Commission

Amidst these concerns, the establishment of the Telangana State Education Commission offers some hope. On September 3, the state government issued Government Order (GO) 27, for the constitution of Telangana state education commission and appointed former IAS officer Akunuri Murali as the chairman of the commission. The GO laid out the objectives of the commission, emphasizing the need to improve the quality of education across all levels, and developing foundational skills at every stage from pre-primary to higher education. There is a need to enhance the quality of education at all levels from pre-primary to higher education and if that work is not done then injustice will be done to future generations, it said, It highlighted the importance of linking pre-primary education with primary schools The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 lacks clarity on this issue, but the Telangana Education Commission has taken a definitive stand, rejecting the idea of conducting pre-primary education through anganwadis, which has faced criticism for lacking qualified personnel(1).

Bureaucratic Flavour in the Commission’s Approach

Although the GO clearly outlines the commission’s goals, the document reads more like a bureaucratic exercise than an academic discussion. Terms and concepts are used loosely, often without the rigor expected in academic discourse. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 results were cited as evidence of the poor quality of school education, but this is a limited and flawed measure. NAS evaluates students’ performance in specific subjects like language and mathematics, and the test is administered only to government school students, excluding private and out-of-school children. Experts argue that the methodology is unscientific, and specially trained individuals are needed to conduct such tests properly. As a result, using NAS results to assess the overall quality of education is inappropriate. (Kaushik, Amit. (2018)

Quality education involves more than just basic skills in a few subjects; it encompasses comprehensive, equitable learning opportunities that allow for equal participation and achievement across all areas. The UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, in the context of monitoring SDG( Sustainable Development Goal) 4, emphasizes the quality of education by stating that ’good quality education cannot be equated with, or reduced to, learning outcomes (2022). The commission’s approach lacks this broader understanding of educational quality.

Higher Education and Market-Oriented Goals

In higher education, the commission similarly narrows its focus by equating quality with the development of skills for the job market. While employability is important, the purpose of higher education extends beyond this. Higher education should aim to cultivate critical thinking, independent thought, and a commitment to the betterment of society. Reducing the goal of higher education to merely producing market-ready graduates diminishes its broader social and intellectual purpose. Many scholars and educational theorists have argued that higher education should serve broader purposes, such as fostering critical thinking, personal development, and social responsibility, rather than focusing solely on vocational or market-driven goals.

Composition of the Telangana Education Commission

In the Telangana State Education Commission, apart from the chairman and member secretary, only three members who are experts in academic matters have been appointed. In order to make studies related to all levels of education, the formation of very individual focus groups is required. It did not discuss it in detail about it, but said experts from the education sector would be taken up on deputation basis. Perhaps that is how this Education Commission will be expanded. However, these types of state education commissions have recently been appointed in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Last year in 2023, the Karnataka state government appointed the Karnataka State Education Commission under the chairmanship of Prof. Sukhdev Thorat, former chairman of UGC. The commission has been appointed with 15 members, in addition to which an expert committee of seven members has also been constituted. This includes three former vice-chancellors, education activists such as Yogendra Yadav and Niranjanaradhya. Similarly, in Tamil Nadu, the Education Commission, which was appointed in 2022 under the chairmanship of Justice Murugesan, also had 13 members and the commission was appointed with a number of eminent personalities. The Kerala State Education Commission, which was appointed in 2021 under the chairmanship of Professor Shyam, also has several members. Another education commission appointed by the state of Kerala in 2017 is headed by the state’s SCERT director, Professor Khader. In 2006, the State Government of Bihar appointed an Education Commission under the chairmanship of the then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar under the chairmanship of Prof. Muchukund Dubey on the Common School System. Most of the education commissions appointed at the national level, except for NEP 2020, are chaired by those from the education sector. Many education professionals were involved in these education commissions when these were examined. It is not yet known how the broad participation of education professionals is going to be in the formation of present Telangana State Education Commission. Similarly, Akunuri Murali, who was appointed as the chairman of the commission, has been criticized for not being a professional from the field of education. Akunuri Murali’s recent struggles on the issues of the education sector cannot undermine his commitment, but the Commission will have to work without any bureaucratic flavour and with a purely educational science base

Criticisms of the Commission’s Structure and Funding

The two-year tenure of the commission has also come under scrutiny, with critics arguing that this timeframe is much more to suggest meaningful reforms. Another significant criticism is the commission’s decision to invite private firms to fund its operations. This raises fears that private interests could influence the commission’s proposals, undermining its commitment to equitable education for all.

The Telangana Education Commission’s stated goal is to provide quality education based on equality and equal participation. However, achieving this requires the implementation of a common school system at least up to the secondary level, a crucial element that is conspicuously absent from the GO. This omission raises concerns about whether the commission will fulfil its lofty promises, or if it will miss a rare opportunity to strengthen Telangana’s education system.

(Author:Adama Srinivas Reddy (sreevare13[at]gmail.com) teaches at the Kakatiya Government College(Autonomous), Hanumakonda, Kakatiya University, and is a founding member of, the Society for Change in Education, Telangana)

Notes

1. NEP 2020 proposes four ways for the transaction of ECCE. (a) standalone Anganwadis; (b) Anganwadis co-located with primary schools; (c) pre-primary schools/sections covering at least age 5 to 6 years co-located with existing primary schools; and (d) stand-alone pre-schools (page 7)

References

• Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development. (2020). National Education Policy 2020.
• Kaushik, Amit. (2018). Measuring learning outcomes in India. 26. Challenges of measuring learning outcomes in India and South Asia, evidence-based policy making.
• The Hindu(2022):Govt. constitutes panel for formulating State Education Policy,02 June, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/govt-constitutes-panel-for-formulating-state-education-policy/article65487220.ece
• The Indian Express (2023): Karnataka appoints 15-member commission for State Education Policy; former UGC chief Thorat to chair the commission,12 october, https://indianexpress.com/article/education/former-ugc-chief-sukhdev-thorat-to-be-chairman-of-karnatakas-new-state-education-policy-commission-8978607/
• UNESCO(2022); Global Education Monitoring Report,https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/quality