Telangana CM’s school gets swanky building, modern infrastructure

DUBBAKA: While hundreds of government schools across Telangana are in deplorable conditions, the state-run school in Siddipet’s Dubbaka town, when ready, will give any corporate school a run for its money in terms of infrastructure.
The school in Dubbaka, which is chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s alma mater, is witnessing winds of change. A beautiful building stands in place of a dilapidated government high school where KCR had studied in classes VII to IX between 1966 and 1969. The new structure — 70% complete — looks nothing less than a top corporate school in any big city.
Swanky classrooms, digital teaching, laboratories, separate washrooms for girls and boys, and a mini conference hall are some of the facilities at the school, thanks to a Rs 10 crore largesse granted by the CM. Soon after he became the CM in 2014, KCR had visited his school and decided to build a new school on the premises. He laid the foundation stone in 2016 for the school as well as a junior college.
Senior officials exclaim that nowhere in the country does a government school look like this one. “It looks like a palace. Remember Dubbaka was a gram panchayat before it has been upgraded to a second-grade municipality,” an official pointed out. The CM, a native of Chintamadaka village, used to pedal his way to the Dubbaka government school, nine km away.
“The conference hall has capacity to seat 120 students. We will also extend modern teaching modules to students,” Balakishan, headmaster, told TOI. Presently, the school is functioning out of the junior college premises. “Once the new building is inaugurated, the school will be shifted,” he said.
Meanwhile, the works hit a roadblock as the government has not made budgetary provision. Lokesh Reddy of Hyderabad-based Galaxy Techno Projects Private Ltd, said the government did not sanction even Rs 4 crore. The contractor said: “We were supposed to complete the works by May this year and keep the school ready for the new academic calendar. But with funds not being released, the works are getting delayed.”
When contacted, deputy executive engineer of TSEWIDC Srinivas Reddy said the school should be readied in another couple of months. “There is some delay in releasing funds. But, 70% of the works have been completed,” he said.