Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed the state’s education department to implement a facial recognition system for attendance in all schools and colleges, aiming to improve accountability and address shortcomings.

During a high-level review, the CM emphasised the need for a single, unified department to oversee all construction and quality standards for educational infrastructure. To achieve this, he ordered that the newly formed Education and Welfare Infrastructure Development Corporation (EWIDC) would take charge of all construction projects for educational institutions.

The Chief Minister also addressed several financial and logistical issues. He instructed officials to expedite the clearing of pending bills for mid-day meals and school sanitation. Other directives included the accelerated construction of toilets in girls' schools and the establishment of solar-equipped container kitchens.

Additionally, the state government plans to give top priority to sports, with the CM suggesting the recruitment of Physical Education Teachers (PETs) on a contract basis. The meeting also included a discussion on appointing female counsellors for girls in welfare schools.

Revanth Reddy highlighted that spending on education should be viewed as an investment and mentioned that Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has requested the Union Finance Minister to exclude education-related loans from FRBM limits. The CM also called for a comprehensive report on students from BC, SC, ST, and minority communities who have studied in government educational institutions over the past decade, noting that they constitute over 90% of the student population in these institutions.

With inputs from ANI