The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Students up in arms against GO 76

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Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Students up in arms against GO 76

S. Ramu

Merger of two classes under ‘Success’ programme opposed

— PHOTO: SINGAM VENKATA RAMANA

Mighty young: Schoolchildren raising slogans against the government at Anantharam in Nalgonda on Tuesday.

ANANTHARAM (NALGONDA DT.): The GO No.76 has come as a rude shock for hundreds of parents of the local upper primary school in this tiny village of Nalgonda mandal.

Enraged by the government’s decision to merge sixth and seventh classes in the high school situated in Kothapally, 4 km away from Anantharam, villagers are up in arms. In protest against the decision, they locked the school gate forcing the children to go back home on Tuesday.

Some of the students gathered in front of the school and raised slogans against the GO. “Maa badi maaku kaavali (We want our school),” was their main slogan.

Of the total strength of 210 in the upper primary school, 67 students are in sixth and seventh classes. To accommodate the local students, the authorities extended the buildings by spending Rs. 4 lakh recently. “The villagers are shell shocked to know that two classes are merged in the Kothapally School under ‘Success’ programme. They are unable to stomach it,” headmaster Sunkari Bhiksham Goud told The Hindu.

Futile efforts

A teacher, who is obviously not happy with the government’s decision, said that the teachers’ efforts to mobilise children for the school went futile now. “We made a door-to-door campaign to get enough strength on par with private institutions. Our school may be closed down due to lack of strength soon,” the teacher said.

“Following the government’s decision, the children have to trek 4 km to go for further studies. We don’t find a sound logic in the decision to cut down two classes,” another villager rued.

The headmaster said that the GO would definitely trouble the students. Taking advantage of the situation, some private schools are trying to rope in primary section (first to five classes) children.

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