HMs of schools in a fix over Nadu-Nedu implementation

Nellore: Headmasters of schools that are taken up for a facelift in the second phase of the Nadu-Nedu programme across Andhra Pradesh are in a fix over the dual role of teaching and supervising the construction works.

The rates fixed as labour charges for different works are much less than the prevailing market rates, a headmaster noted.

Referring to the labour charge of `2800 to `3200 fixed for electrical works for each classroom apart from bathroom and kitchen, the HM said that the labour charge per day is `900 for an electrician. It is taking two electricians two days to complete wiring for a room, which means a labour charge of `3600 for each room.  

In addition, they demand money for lunch and petrol charges.

Another HM said they cannot keep more than `5,000 as cash in hand and can’t issue cheques for amounts less than `5,000. These conditions take the HMs to the bank every day.

The less said the better about the ordeals of HMs working in rural schools to visit the bank located 10 to 15km away from the school.

Moreover, the HM should obtain seven signatures on each cheque and the signatories include parents, committee members, Sachivayalayam AE and school complex resource person.

According to another HM of neighbouring Prakasam district, the supervisory cadre officials force the HMs to buy bricks and cement in advance to showcase the progress of the works to the higher authorities. But, protecting these materials is a difficult task for the HMs.

In fact, the parents committee should take an active part and procure material but they avoid taking such responsibilities on their shoulders.

“A new problem we face is the uploading of the attendance register in the first hour. With every HM doing this at the same time, the servers are hanging. It is taking a long time to upload the data even after the introduction of the system of loading the details off-line,” a HM of an elementary school complained.

He said that under these circumstances, they are hardly able to do justice to their teaching jobs.

While hailing the government, especially chief minister Jagan Reddy for transforming the schools through Nadu-Nedu, another HM said these works should better have been entrusted to technically qualified persons under the supervision of HMs.

 He said the plight of HMs is made further worse by the interference of local politicians. The value of the works runs into lakhs and crores, and politicians want to have a finger in the pie.