Academic year begins, no regular MEOs to 18 mandals

Khammam: The education department is already facing two issues in the beginning of academic year itself.  

Firstly, there are no regular mandal education officers (MEOs) for 18 of the 21 mandals. About eight in-charge MEOs are looking after two mandals each.

Another interesting twist is that the headmaster of a school is entrusted the responsibilities of an in-charge.

The in-charge MEO administration is being run in these mandals but many of the in-charge MEOs do not have thorough knowledge on administrative affairs and they are unable to do their tasks successfully.

Moreover, the in-charge MEOs of Karepalli, Kamepalli, Raghunathapalem, Khammam Rural, Madhira, Errupalem, Konigerla and Chintakani were asked to look after another mandal’s administrative affairs.

The students and parents have expressed concern over the situation in the education department. There are various issues involved in the issue due to non-implementation of promotions and not taking up fresh teacher appointments.

Secondly, the government has not allowed the DEO to increase the Vidya volunteers this year. The DEO office sent a report to the government to allow them to appoint 731 Vidya Volunteers against the present 471 volunteers to post them in the vacant teacher posts. But the government is not ready to increase the posts and has only allowed the renewal of the 471 Vidya volunteers this present academic year. The VVs are being paid `12,000 per month but have yet to receive salaries of March and April. Vidya volunteers have been urging the authorities to pay their salaries regularly.

Meanwhile sources have said that the education in 150 schools will be affected because of the lack of sufficient Vidya volunteers.

P Prasad, a student leader said, “The government is not giving priority to education and the state of affairs in the education sector has proved this. It is very sad that Vidya volunteer posts have not been increased. They are necessary for the education of the poor.”

He said that the Vidya volunteers were doing a lot of service in schools where the teacher posts were vacant.