The State government has decided to modify GO No.6 intended to ‘rationalise’ government schools across the State from the next academic year, though certain unions of teachers had expressed apprehensions that schools having poor student strength would be eventually closed down. The GO No 6, released in September 2014, was kept in abeyance, following protests by teachers unions.
The State government has since decided to introduce some changes in the instructions given under the GO No 6, before going ahead with the rationalisation plan. The earlier instructions laid down benchmarks for allowing government-run primary and high schools to function. It was decided that high schools with less than 75 students and primary schools with less than 20 students should be closed down and such students sent to other nearby school.
Inspections in the previous year revealed that about 300 high schools and 2,000 primary schools would come under the axe, going by the parameters set by the State government. However, after fierce opposition from teachers’ unions, the State government stepped back on this issue earlier. The issue of rationalisation of schools and teachers is again under discussion as the demand for DSC has been increasing for some time now. Director and Commissioner of School Education T Chiranjeevulu said that currently the GO was not being implemented.
However, it could come into force with some changes after the current academic year. He declined to speak on the changes that would be made to rules under the GO No 6. The Telangana Teachers Joint Action Committee (TTJAC) has alleged that the State government wanted to shut down State-run schools in the name of ‘rationalisation’. The TTJAC chairman, P Venkat Reddy, said that the government should instead increase facilities for rural students so that they could reach the school.
The government should see how many private schools were being run in the same locality or village. “The government should rationalise private schools before preparing to close government schools. Each village must have a public school,” he said. He said that the fall in the number of students at government schools did not happen overnight, but over a period of time because of the official apathy and neglect by successive governments.
Representatives of teacher unions also argue that shutting down any government school was against the Right to Education Act (RTE) and Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
The State government has since decided to introduce some changes in the instructions given under the GO No 6, before going ahead with the rationalisation plan. The earlier instructions laid down benchmarks for allowing government-run primary and high schools to function. It was decided that high schools with less than 75 students and primary schools with less than 20 students should be closed down and such students sent to other nearby school.
Inspections in the previous year revealed that about 300 high schools and 2,000 primary schools would come under the axe, going by the parameters set by the State government. However, after fierce opposition from teachers’ unions, the State government stepped back on this issue earlier. The issue of rationalisation of schools and teachers is again under discussion as the demand for DSC has been increasing for some time now. Director and Commissioner of School Education T Chiranjeevulu said that currently the GO was not being implemented.
However, it could come into force with some changes after the current academic year. He declined to speak on the changes that would be made to rules under the GO No 6. The Telangana Teachers Joint Action Committee (TTJAC) has alleged that the State government wanted to shut down State-run schools in the name of ‘rationalisation’. The TTJAC chairman, P Venkat Reddy, said that the government should instead increase facilities for rural students so that they could reach the school.
The government should see how many private schools were being run in the same locality or village. “The government should rationalise private schools before preparing to close government schools. Each village must have a public school,” he said. He said that the fall in the number of students at government schools did not happen overnight, but over a period of time because of the official apathy and neglect by successive governments.
Representatives of teacher unions also argue that shutting down any government school was against the Right to Education Act (RTE) and Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
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