Hyderabad, October 28: Advisor to Telangana Government (SC, ST, OBC & Minorities) Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Tuesday asserted that the Congress party was the true architect of minority education in Telangana, stating that the Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) was built on the framework originally envisioned by the Congress government under Dr Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in 2007.
Speaking at Udaan 2025, a felicitation ceremony for TMREIS students who secured MBBS, BDS and IIT admissions, Shabbir Ali said that the BRS government merely rebranded a Congress-initiated model without investing in the permanent infrastructure that was originally planned. The event, held at Banjara Bhavan, was presided over by Minority Welfare Minister Adluri Lakshman Kumar and attended by TMREIS President Md Faheem Qureshi, Minority Welfare Secretary Md Shafiullah and senior officials.
Recalling the policy framework, Shabbir Ali said that the Congress government had institutionalised minority education through a series of Government Orders beginning in 2006. GO Ms. No. 34, issued on November 20, 2006, created 12 pre-matric hostels for Muslim boys in districts including Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad, Medak, Adilabad and Mahabubnagar. GO Ms. No. 19, dated July 16, 2007, sanctioned post-matric hostels in 13 districts, followed by GO Ms. No. 20, dated July 17, 2007, which approved 12 English Medium Residential Schools for Minority students in Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad, Medak, Wanaparthy, Warangal and Nalgonda. He said the Congress vision included permanent buildings with full facilities for students, whereas during ten years of BRS rule, only 13 schools operated from their own premises, 17 from government buildings and 204 from rented structures.
Shabbir Ali stated that the present Congress government under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has already identified 80 land parcels to construct permanent TMREIS campuses, marking a return to the original YSR-Congress vision of educational dignity for minorities. He congratulated TMREIS students for their achievements, noting that this year they secured 36 free MBBS seats, 2 BDS seats and several IIT admissions. He praised the dedication of teachers, principals and staff, describing TMREIS as a disciplined, safe and holistic residential system that promotes academics, leadership and overall development.
He said the Congress government had already begun reversing the educational decline seen during the BRS regime, when over 80 per cent of minority engineering and professional colleges were shut down. In less than a year, the Revanth Reddy government had added 2,200 engineering seats in minority institutions, sanctioned a minority law college and two pharmacy colleges, and strengthened TMREIS operations across districts.
He praised TMREIS for providing a disciplined, safe, and inclusive environment promoting academics, leadership, and holistic development. “These students are the pride of Telangana’s minority community and a reminder of what visionary policy can achieve,” he said.
Shabbir Ali expressed confidence that the Congress government would restore TMREIS to its original mission – quality education with permanent infrastructure and equal opportunity for all. (eom)