As soon as the Assembly resumed sitting at 10 am on Friday, the House witnessed heated arguments between the Treasury and Opposition benches on the school education issue during the question hour. While BJP members staged walk-out in protest against the unsatisfactory reply given by Education Minister G. Jagadish Reddy, the main Opposition Congress members staged protest inside the House.
Raising the issue during the question hour, BJP floor leader Dr K Lakshman took serious exception to the government’s decision to close down schools on the ground there was no adequate number of students. He also objected to the transfer of teachers to other schools on the same ground. Stating that even ten students going to schools in tribal areas is rare and how far it was justifiable to close down schools, Dr Lakshman bemoaned that tribal students were being deprived of education due to the faulty policy of the government. He also said some 450 schools in Hyderabad alone face danger of closure due to the policy of rationalization of teachers. He urged the government to immediately take appropriate steps to increase students’ strength in the schools.
While BJP member NVSS Prabhakar stressed the need for increasing education standards in the government schools, Chintala Ramachandra Reddy lamented that there was shortage of 15,000 teachers in the State. Another BJP member G Kishan Reddy suggested that each MLA should adopt a couple of schools like the MPs at the Centre and strive for their development.
Congress member D.K. Aruna told the House there was no adequate number of teachers in proportion to students’ strength. She also pointed out that in some schools there was only one teacher for some 200 students. As a result, students in the villages were being kept away from education. Urging the government to take immediate steps to appoint a sweeper and a watchman in every school, Aruna claimed that 272 schools remained closed in Mahbubnagar district for want of teachers.
Replying to the members, Education Minister Jagadish Reddy assured the House that education would be provided to students as expected by the people. He clarified that rationalization of teachers does not mean closure of schools, but transferring teachers wherever necessary.
He also said the decision of rationalization of teachers has been taken after holding talks and taking concurrence of various teachers associations. He also pointed out that in some schools there were ten teachers for only 20 students. Surplus teachers were only being transferred to other schools where there is shortage of teachers, he said.
Making it clear that no school would be closed down for want of students, the minister said the government has decided to merge such schools in one kilometer radius into one. He also said efforts were being made to enroll more number of students by organizing special campaigns at the beginning of the academic year.
Dissatisfied with the minister’s reply, the BJP members staged a walk-out while the Congress members registered their protest in the House.
—————–NSS