BC Welfare Department Celebrates Academic Excellence with Pratibha Puraskaram Awards

Hyderabad's BC Welfare Department held its annual Pratibha Puraskaram awards ceremony to recognise outstanding academic achievers from BC Gurukul schools and welfare hostels who excelled in the 2025-26 academic year's SSC and Intermediate examinations.

The ceremony took place at Komaram Bheem Bhavan in Banjara Hills, with Telangana Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Vakiti Srihari presiding as chief guests. The event brought together Rajya Sabha MP Anil Kumar Yadav, BC Welfare Department Government Advisor V. Hanumantha Rao, BC Commission Chairman Niranjan, BC Welfare Secretary Balamayadevi, Dedicated Commission Chairman Bhoosani Venkateshwar Rao, MJP Secretary Saidulu and other senior officials.

A total of 508 students received recognition at the event. The awardees comprised 214 SSC achievers, 165 Intermediate second-year students and 129 Intermediate first-year students.

Minister Ponnam Prabhakar praised the students for their accomplishments, noting that learners from rural, economically disadvantaged and historically marginalised communities had demonstrated their capability through dedication and perseverance. He emphasised that their success reflected their determination to overcome systemic barriers.

The Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Residential Educational Institutions demonstrated exceptional performance this year, with 19,048 students passing out of 19,243 who appeared for SSC examinations, translating to a 98.99 percent pass rate. This figure significantly exceeded Telangana's state average of 95.15 percent.

Among the standout metrics, 204 institutions achieved perfect results, while 10 districts recorded 100 percent pass percentages. The data revealed that 496 students scored above 980 marks, with 2,106 students securing above 950 marks and 4,183 students obtaining more than 900 marks.

In Intermediate examinations, performance remained robust, with 33 institutions recording complete success in the second year and eight institutions achieving similar results in the first year. Welfare hostels registered a first-year pass percentage of 51.63 percent, while second-year students achieved 71.85 percent.

Minister Prabhakar noted that over two lakh students are currently enrolled across BC Gurukuls and welfare hostels throughout Telangana. Despite these substantial numbers, the government has prioritised strengthening educational quality and opportunities for disadvantaged sections of society.

Recent government initiatives include enhanced dietary provisions and hostel amenities, implementation of teacher promotions and transfers, and fresh recruitment drives aimed at bolstering the education infrastructure. The minister urged students to aspire towards competitive examinations like the UPSC, with career goals spanning the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, medicine, law and other professional fields. He also encouraged excellence in sports and science disciplines.

Addressing educators, Minister Prabhakar called for heightened commitment from teachers, stating that their dedication would elevate the institutional standing of BC Gurukuls and welfare hostels regionally in coming years.