AP plans to stop aiding private schools

KADAPA: The state government is engaged in an endeavour to stop the system of aided private schools. It has issued an ordinance saying financial aid to such institutions could be stopped.

A notification sent by the Department of Education to schools said it has been decided to revoke the accreditation of schools based on the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), which would take student attendance as a standard within three years.

The committee, set up by three superintendents of the district education office, is examining the issues and the regulations thereof.

Already, a review of the functioning of aided schools is ongoing. This will have impact on some 7,500 teaching and non-teaching staff and 2,300 private schools run with aid from the state government. Based on this review report, the government will decide on the continuation or otherwise of financial assistance to these institutions. It was in this connection that an ordinance was issued by the Governor on August 6.

The ordinance has stated, “The government may, after such enquiry as they may deem fit, withhold, reduce or withdraw any grant payable to an educational institution having regard to the funds at the disposal of the government or the conduct and efficiency and the financial condition of such institution or non-compliance of the rules/regulations/ codes etc, in force, after giving an opportunity to the manager of the institution concerned of making a representation against such withholding, reduction or withdrawal of grant either gradually or in full: Provided that the enquiry shall be completed within two months; and pending such enquiry, it shall be (upto) the government to suspend the grant for such period.”

This led to a big debate among the school managements and staff.

The education department was already collecting details of managements that had previously expressed a willingness to hand over their institutions to the government, including their assets. In this connection, the government has appointed committees to examine the facilities in the respective aided schools and prepare field reports.

It is now clear that, with the issue of the ordinance, the government would stop further funding to the aided schools.

In Kadapa, there are 87 primary and secondary schools and 26 high schools under aided management. About 500 teachers work with them.

The Department of Education has issued notices to 47 schools in the district, including 44 primary and secondary schools, one high school and two oriental schools in aided management, due to low enrollment. At the same time, steps were taken to regularize the respective schools.

Schools with 40 students in primary schools and less than 75 students in high schools are identified. “There are also schools with fewer than ten students. A total of 47 schools have been issued notices,” an official of the education department said.

In the wake of the issuing of ordinance by the government, the teaching and non-teaching staff, managements, and education department officials are eagerly waiting as to what would happen now. Although the teaching community is in agreement with the government's decision, they are thinking as to how their seniority can be calculated in the event of a merger of institutions.

Teacher MLC Katti Narasimhareddy told Deccan Chronicle that the government move to end the system of fully aided educational institutions is unwarranted. “There is no objection to the government stopping its financial aid to the institutions that work on business lines, wherein the management has agreed to the hiring of employees into the government. The government had announced it would suspend the grant-in-aid to non-compliant educational institutions at any moment.”

He said if no public school is available to students, there exists a risk that they would drop out. Aided degree colleges are running in many parts of the state. For example, in Sambepalli in Kadapa district, there is no government junior college, while there exists an aided junior college. If this college is closed, the students would have to go to Rayachoti, Rajampeta or Peeleru to continue with their education.