PVT TEACHERS ASK GOVT TO RESUME AID

Around 2.1 lakh teaching and non-teaching staff working in around 10,000 private recognised schools, are living in poverty as the managements have stopped paying them salaries. In Hyderabad, 2,041 schools are in this category.

According to these schools, 90 per cent of students have not paid the fee for the last academic year, because they got assurance of getting promoted to the higher classes without exams.

Though the state government extended an aid of `2,000 and 25 kgs rice to the staff of these schools, it lasted only for only three months. Now these employees request the government to resume the same help.

Representatives of the Hyderabad District Recognised School Management Association, who met on Saturday, requested the government for exemption of property tax, water bills and electricity bills, during the period of closure of schools.

Srikanth, a teacher at Durga School, Marredpally, said, “When the government gives so much aid to many communities, why doesn’t it extend any help to teachers?”

Fatima Ellena, another teacher, said, “The three months’ aid from the government helped us, but now most of the teachers are helpless as managements are not paying the salaries.”

Sadulo Madhusudhan, general secretary of the association and correspondent for Pragathi Vidyaniketan School, said, the association requested the government to resume aid for teachers till the situation became normal.

“Our school has 1,400 students of whom 400 are attending online classes. Less than half paid the fee,” he said.

Umamaheswa Rao, association president, said, “Our demand is to resume the assistance for these teaching and non-teaching staff. Online attendance should be made compulsory, and exams should be considered to get promoted to the next class. The government should consider level-wise reopening of schools.”