Telugu Compulsory In All Schools Across Telangana

In a groundbreaking development, the government of Telangana made the Telugu language compulsory in all schools, including those affiliated with CBSE, ICSE, IB, and all other boards. The government made Telugu mandatory for students from Classes 1 to 10.

It is a revolutionary move by the government to equip the state’s students with Telugu language skills. So far, the 9th and 10th class students have a choice to pick Telugu as an optional subject, but now, they will have to pick it as a mandatory subject. Upto 8th-class students, the new GO will be applicable from the 2025-26 academic year, while the 9th and 10th students will have to follow the order from the academic year 2026-27.

The government has ordered schools to take steps to ensure that students learn Telugu language. Examinations will also be conducted frequently. It has been suggested that education department officials should take appropriate supervision in this regard. To teach students and to develop an interest in them, a Telugu vocabulary book called ‘Vennela’ has been brought as a syllabus for classes 9 and 10.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy decided to use the ‘Simple Telugu’ textbook ‘Vennela’ for conducting exams, making it easier for students of classes 9th and 10th of CBSE and other boards. For those whose mother tongue is not Telugu, Vennela will be of great help in learning the language. School Education Department Secretary Dr. Yogita Rana issued a memo on Tuesday regarding its use.

As per the education officials, the motto behind this move is to empower the students to read and write Telugu. In Telangana, more than one-third of the schools are English-medium, and the officials want all the students to learn the local language.

The government also requested the Director of School Education, Telangana, Hyderabad, to take necessary action in the matter accordingly.

An official statement on Tuesday noted that the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government had not fully enforced the law due to unspecified challenges.