Limit benefits of ‘Amma Vodi’ scheme to government schools, urges municipal teachers’ body
The government should withdraw the scheme in private schools if the 2,115 municipal schools in 135 towns were to survive, says Municipal Teachers Federation president
Leaders of the Municipal Teachers Federation (MTF) urged the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led coalition government in the State to implement the ‘Amma Vodi’ scheme benefits exclusively for students of State-run schools of Andhra Pradesh.
In a statement released on Saturday, MTF’s State president S. Ramakrishna said that government schools had already witnessed a large-scale exodus of students who moved to private educational institutions when the former YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government announced its decision to extend the scheme benefits to students of private schools.
Mr. Ramakrishna said that the plight of the municipal schools was even worse, and the government should withdraw the scheme in private schools if the 2,115 municipal schools in 135 towns were to survive.
He further highlighted that parents, who could afford private institutes, had long stopped preferring government schools. For instance, 75% of students in municipal schools belonged to Backward Castes (BC), 15% to the Scheduled Castes (SC), 6% to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) and a mere 4% to other castes.
He said that although the infrastructure facilities improved under the ‘Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu’ programme in schools, it failed to appoint an adequate number of teachers and informed that though there remained 2,400 vacant teacher posts. He said due to the extension of the ‘Amma Vodi’ scheme benefits to private schools, more than 3 lakh students left government schools and joined private institutions.
Mr. Ramakrishna said that under the ‘Super Six’ scheme, the TDP had promised ₹15,000 to every school-going child per annum, removing the cap on the number of beneficiaries, which, he feared would make the situation worse.
Citing that the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Thursday adopted a Bill to earmark 7.5% of seats on a “preferential basis” for students from State government schools in admission to professional courses, Mr. Ramakrishna said Andhra Pradesh should also implement the same to attract students and parents to government schools.
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