A.P. teachers to continue protest against G.O. on school restructuring
Raising concern over 'categorisation of schools and the potential negative impact on students and teachers,' leaders of the Andhra Pradesh Teachers' Federation (APTF) have announced their decision to continue their protests in a phased manner. On May 5, they held mandal-level protests, on May 9 at district-level and on May 14, at the State level. Opposing what they called irrational policies being implemented in government schools, they said instead of revising the incoherent decisions taken by the previous government, the TDP-led coalition government, through G.O. 21, proposed to set up nine categories of schools, which may dismantle public education system.
The federation leaders said on May 16 and 17, teachers across the State would send messages via WhatsApp and Email to the Minister for Human Resource Development Nara Lokesh demanding reversal of the decision to protect the education sector. On May 18, 19 and 20, they would submit memoranda to the elected representatives, from village sarpanches to the Members of Parliament, including School Education Committee Chairpersons, Zilla Parishad and Mandal Parishad members, seeking their immediate intervention.
Pointing out that no other State in the country had nine categories of schools, the leaders demanded that the government revert to the old system that existed before the issue of G.O. 117 by the previous YSR Congress Party government.
Leaders of the State committee of the Student Federation of India (SFI) have also condemned the decision, insisting that the government reconsider its stand.
In a statement on Thursday, the federation's State president K. Prasanna Kumar and general secretary A. Ashok said G.O. 117 issued by the YSRCP government on division of schools in six categories evoked stiff resistance by the stakeholders. The current government repealed that G.O. and instead, issued a fresh one as an alternative, categorising schools in nine categories.
They said the proposed restructuring would cause serious harm to the school education system and would facilitate privatisation of the education sector.
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