Minister: Government keen to merge municipal schools with education department

Vijayawada: The State government has hastened the efforts to bring the municipal schools under the purview of the education department. A total of 2,095 schools are maintained by the municipal corporations and the municipalities in the State.

The education department supplies uniforms, text books, note books and other material to the students. While the municipal corporations and the municipalities provide infrastructure facilities like school buildings, black boards, benches, drinking water facility etc. A total of 44,780 schools are maintained by the government under the aegis of Zilla Parishad, Mandal Parishad and municipalities. A total of 2,095 schools are supervised by the municipalities.

The State government has taken a decision to bring the municipal schools under the supervision of the education department. Teachers and teachers unions like Municipal Teachers Federation (MTF) are opposing the decision of the government and insisting that the municipal schools should be supervised by the municipalities and the municipal corporations.

The MTF leaders are conducting meetings and trying to create awareness among the parents, the corporators and other people's representatives on the intention of the government to bring the municipal schools under the control of education department.

Municipal teachers allege that the State government was violating the Nagarapalika Act 74, which was passed by the Indian Parliament. As per the Nagarapalika Act, the schools must be supervised by the municipal department officials only.

If the municipal schools are brought under the supervision of school education department, Mandal Education officers (MEOs) get the executive powers and will

inspect the schools and play a key role in promotions and transfers of the teachers working in the municipalities.

Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana while briefing the media on Monday said a decision has been taken at the highest level on merging the municipal schools with the education department. Some people's representatives particularly some MLCs and teachers unions are in favour of merging the municipal schools with the education department. But, the decision is opposed by the majority municipal teachers. The principal complaint against the municipal schools is that the schools are supervised by the municipal commissioners, who are not related to the education department. District education officers supervise the schools in the rural areas. Municipal commissioners and deputy educational officers supervise the administrative activities of schools in municipalities.

Now, the teachers are divided in the State on the maintenance of the schools in municipalities and corporations. Teachers working in the municipalities and corporations are opposing the decision of the government to bring the supervision of schools under the education department. S Ramakrishna, president of MTF, said the municipal schools are functioning excellently and achieving good results with the existing system. He said if the supervision of schools was handed over to the education department, municipalities and municipal corporations may not co-operate with education department to run the schools.

Municipalities have spent hundreds of crores for the development of schools in the State for several decades. Moreover, municipalities and municipal corporations have funds to develop the schools and improve the infrastructure facilities.

The education department is incurring expenditure on books, school uniforms and maintenance of schools. The department may face hardships to spend if more schools are brought under the supervision of education department.

Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana has made it clear the government has no intention to take over the properties or the school buildings of the municipalities. He stated that the education department would only supervise the functioning of municipal schools.