Amma Vodi aims to provide decent education to poor children: DEO

Anantapur-Puttaparthi: Many illiterate parents living in rural and sub-urban slums, who did not understand the government order clarifying that the designated school fee for admission into a private school in first standard must be paid from the Amma Vodi amount and that the government will not pay the school fees apart from Amma Vodi amount of Rs 15,000. The misunderstanding had kindled false hope that the government will also pay the private school fee apart from the 'Amma Vodi'.

Nirmala Devi, a mother of 5-year old son Karthik in Puttaparthi mandal, who is a daily wage labourer lost her excitement when she was told by her village volunteer that the government will not pay the private school fee and that she has to pay the same from the Amma Vodi amount of Rs 13,000. Nirmala talking to The Hans India expressed her disappointment saying we mothers expected the government to take care of school fees. When asked what was the Amma Vodi amount for, she remained tight lipped. She muttered saying that giving Amma Vodi amount only for one child amounts to sowing seeds of discrimination among children when parents cannot afford private school education to all children.

When the discontentment among a section of parents on government clarification that parents will have to pay their private school fee from the Amma Vodi amount, DEO Sai Ram retorted saying that when the Amma Vodi itself is government's education financial assistance to parents to educate their child or children, how can they expect government to pay their school fee separately.

More ever the government has done much more than just giving them the Amma Vodi amount. It has under the Right to Education Act, made it mandatory to give 25 percent of admissions into first standard in every private English medium school. That apart the government fixed a subsidy amount of school fee under the 25 percent quota under which children of disadvantaged sections will pay a mere Rs 8,000 in town schools, Rs 6,500 in rural schools and Rs 5,100 in tribal areas. If the school charges anything more, the government will deal with that, he assured.

Amma Vodi is precisely for giving decent education to poor children, says DEO Sai Ram. The DEO advised the parents to apply for admissions in any private school which is 1 km to 3 km away from their homes in their native villages, with the help of local headmasters or MEO etc. Shalini, mother of Divya Teja of Anantapur rural, is too happy to admit her daughter in a corporate school soon. "The Amma Vodi amount is enough to give her daughter a decent English medium education," Shalini said while talking to The Hans India in her native Upparapalle village in rural Anantapur.

A school teacher Saroja Kumari of a government school in Gooty mandal talking to The Hans India revealed that it is true that some have misunderstood a provision in the government notification which says that if the parent fails to remit the school fee amount to the private school management, the government will pay the school fee and deduct the same from the remittance of the next academic year. This statement of government was misunderstood by a section of children's parents.

Meanwhile hundreds of parents who have applied for Amma Vodi for the first time are anxiously waiting for sanctioning of the financial assistance under Amma Vodi scheme. Yarava Kishore, a father of 5-year-old son, is eager to admit his child in St Francis Convent school with the hope of government sanctioning the educational dole. He is anxiously looking forward for the admission day.

For every child, out of the total Rs 15,000, sanctioned under 'Amma Vodi' scheme, Rs 2,000 is deducted from every beneficiary for school and lavotries maintenance cost. Anantapur rural sarpanch G Udhay told The Hans India that a child's mother will be able to pay the designated Rs 6,500 to the school management and still have another Rs 6,500 at her disposal to meet other related educational expenditure.