Telangana Mandates Telugu in Schools from 2025-26
The Telangana government has made Telugu a compulsory subject for students from Classes 1 to 10. This rule applies to all school boards, including CBSE, ICSE, IB, and other affiliated institutions. It will take effect in the 2025-26 academic year.
Full Enforcement of the 2018 Act
In 2018, the state passed the Telangana (Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Telugu in Schools) Act. However, the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government did not fully implement it. Now, the Congress-led administration under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has decided to enforce it completely.
Changes for CBSE, ICSE, and Other Schools
To ensure smooth implementation, officials held discussions with school management. Telugu will now be a mandatory subject for Classes 9 and 10 in CBSE, ICSE, and other non-state board schools.
Additionally, the government approved Vennela, a simplified Telugu textbook. This book will help students from non-Telugu-speaking backgrounds learn the language more easily.
Context and Debate Over Language Policies
This decision comes amid ongoing debates about language policies in education. Many states have raised concerns about the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. For instance, Tamil Nadu strongly opposes it, arguing that it promotes Hindi.
By enforcing Telugu in all schools, Telangana aims to preserve its regional language. The education department will oversee the transition and provide updates before the 2025-26 session.
