TPF urges 18% budget share and fee regulator to revive Telangana schools

TPF has asked the Telangana government to earmark a minimum of 18% of the state’s annual budget for education and to create an independent fee‑regulatory commission. The demand was sent in a letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Oct 7, 2026. TPF is led by former bureaucrats and civil‑society figures, notably ex‑Education Commission chair Akunuri Murali. The group says the public‑education system is in an ICU‑like condition. The appeal follows the Vidya Bus Yatra, a two‑week tour that covered ten former districts, visited 20 government schools and several private schools, held village meetings and had senior members sleep on school grounds as part of Badi Nidra. TPF’s three immediate asks are: a law to set up an independent Fee Regulatory Commission to curb private‑school fee hikes; a comprehensive strengthening of government schools under the Telangana Public Schools (TPS) programme, replicating the Arutla model in every mandal with parents’ committees and a supporting law; and the 18% budget allocation, excluding spending on residential institutions such as Gurukul schools. The front also reminded the Congress‑led government that its 2023 election promise to raise education spending from 6.5% to 15% remains unmet. It argued that treating education as a priority sector is essential for Telangana to become a knowledge‑based state. ## Context Telangana’s education budget has hovered below 7% for years, and private‑school fees have risen sharply, prompting calls for regulatory oversight and greater public‑school investment.