Hyderabad: Offering a deep insight that could redefine social policy in Telangana, the state’s first-ever caste backwardness index (CBI)—built on an extensive dataset from the caste survey—has shown that families with educational qualifications, even without tangible assets, fared significantly better in socio-economic indicators than asset-rich households lacking education.The findings, likely to be presented in the next cabinet meeting, offer a sobering view: Owning land or property is no longer a reliable marker of upward mobility, particularly in rural areas. Instead, education—especially English medium and higher education—has emerged as the true catalyst for progress across caste and community lines.Exclusive observations accessed by TOI also underscore a stark urban-rural divide. Urban families that prioritised education, even without assets, outperformed their rural counterparts in income, quality of employment, and social mobility. “Despite land ownership, families without educational access remain trapped in poverty, while educated households—even with fewer assets—climb the socio-economic ladder,” a policy expert explained.Sources said the Telangana govt is seriously considering an overhaul of the state’s educational system, with plans to replace the outdated 10+2 structure with a more forward-looking 12th grade integrated model. Chief minister A Revanth Reddy has asked the expert committee, headed by Justice B Sudarshan Reddy, to firm up a detailed roadmap for these sweeping reforms.“The data proves that merely possessing land does not translate to social advancement. Many families in backward communities are landholders. Without access to education, especially in English, they remain trapped in low-yield subsistence farming. In contrast, asset-poor families who invest in education have shown substantial progress,” sources explained.The expert committee has provided comprehensive community-wise rankings based on over 50 socio-economic parameters. The pattern is clear: Education consistently outperforms asset ownership as a vehicle for empowerment, especially among marginalised groups.A significant data point from the caste survey also reveals that just 40% of Telangana’s population lives in urban areas— defined broadly to include all municipality zones. The report also sheds light on how urban access to education drives sharper upward mobility compared to rural regions. “This redefinition suggests that the state could be rethinking how urbanisation is measured and integrated into its development agenda,” a source said.As the state readies itself for a transformative shift in both educational priorities and urban planning, officials believe the survey findings will serve as a foundation for targeted welfare policies, community-based interventions, and structural reforms designed to close long-standing developmental gaps.
