Govt. for radical change in education sector: Deputy CM Bhatti 

Fundamental rights in a democratic society — freedom of expression and debate — which have been missing in Osmania University for a decade, were restored with Congress coming to power in December 2023, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said on Saturday.

The government’s doors were opened to all viewpoints and people’s fear to express their opinion vanished, he said, recalling his interactions with women, students and diverse groups in his Adilabad-Khammam People’s March.

For Mr. Vikramarka, universities should encourage ideological diversity — from Marxism to Maoism to Gandhianism — as that’s what constitutes a true university, he said, and asserted that coercion, pressure or suppression are not part of the State government’s policy.

“I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” he quoted French writer and philosopher Voltaire, to supplement his idea.

According to Mr. Vikramarka, who was speaking at the annual day celebrations of University College of Arts & Social Sciences, Osmania University here, the government’s focus is on bringing about radical changes in the education sector.

He said that the journey began with the appointments of Vice Chancellors, faculty recruitment, hike in diet charges and cosmetic charges in State residential schools, the common diet menu scheme recommended by top doctors and nutritionists, and allocation of ₹500 crore for Koti Women’s College, now renamed as Veeranari Chakali Ilamma University.

The next thing in the pipeline is building skills. Constructing Telangana’s first skill university in ‘Future City’, 100 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) being transformed as Advanced Technology Centres, and Young India Residential Schools in every constituency with an outlay of ₹200 crore each.

He maintained that real development in the State is possible only through education, and especially English medium education to withstand global competition. Findings from the comprehensive socio-economic, political, educational and caste survey conducted in the State, he said, also showed that education is more crucial for development than land, which is a foundational resource for development.

Mr. Vikramarka was all praise for the legacy of Osmania University which produced former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, and many bureaucrats, scientists and politicians for Telangana and beyond.

Accepting Vice Chancellor Kumar Molugaram and Principal C. Kaseem’s request for an open auditorium in the university, he promised recommending it to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. He also assured that more job notifications would be released soon.