Wed Mar 19 11:14:17 UTC 2025: ## Telangana Budget Boosts Education, But Falls Short of Demands

**Hyderabad, March 19, 2025** – The Telangana government has announced a 13.5% increase in education funding for the 2025-26 fiscal year, allocating ₹24,174 crore (7.9% of the total ₹3,04,965 crore budget). While this represents a significant year-on-year increase from ₹21,292 crore in 2024-25, it falls short of demands from educationists and lags behind the overall budget growth over the past decade.

Finance Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, in his budget speech, highlighted the need for improvement within the state’s education system, acknowledging that government schools are “decades behind” global standards. He cited the concerning statistic that 662 out of 1,023 government residential schools lack their own buildings, many operating in substandard facilities with inadequate sanitation.

Despite the increased allocation, analysis reveals a disparity in growth. Since 2014-15, the overall state budget has grown by 203%, while education funding has increased by only 126%. In 2014-15, ₹10,200.33 crore was allocated to education from a total budget of ₹1,00,637.96 crore.

The Minister’s speech, clocking in at 11,997 words, mentioned education 36 times, underscoring its importance in the government’s plans. However, the comparatively slower growth in education spending raises questions about whether the allocation adequately addresses the challenges facing Telangana’s government schools.

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