Government begins overhaul of school education in State

Guntur: The State government began exercise to bring revolutionary changes in the school education as part of implementation of New Education Policy-2020.

According to official sources, under the NEP-2020, the government proposed to set up pre-primary-1, pre-primary-2, preparatory first class, first class and class-2 in the YSR Foundation Schools. Class 3, class 4, class 5 will be set up in the preliminary schools. Similarly, 6th class, 7th class and 8th class will be set up in the middle schools, 9th class, 10th class, 10+1 and 10+2 will be set up in the secondary schools.

The government proposed to bring changes in the school education from the academic year 2021-22.The government is of the view that the new system will be useful to increase enrolment in the government schools and to impart quality education.

Director of School Education Vadrevu China Veerabhadrudu, Additional Director Devananda Reddy, Joint Directors Pratap Reddy,M Ramalingam and Guntur DEO RS Ganga Bhavani visited Timmapuram High School under Yadlapadu mandal and one school in Guntur city. They took opinions of the villagers in Timmapuram village to implement the NEP-2020.

School Education Department officials conducted a case study in Medikonduru mandal in Guntur district for redistribution and for optimum utilisation of human resources.

At present 33,961 Primary schools, 4,187 Upper Primary Schools,6,630 High Schools are functioning in the 12,918 grama panchayats in the state.

As part of government exercise to bring changes in the school education to implement the NEP-2020, Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh will be holding a meeting with the recognised school teachers' union leaders and unrecognised school teachers union leaders on June 17 at Secretariat to elicit their opinion on implementation of NEP-2020 and proposed changes in the school education.

Sources in the School Education Department informed that the department will submit the proposals to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy very soon. The CM will conduct a meeting with the officials and take a decision on implementation of NEP-2020.

Progressive Municipal Teachers Federation of AP president S Srinivasa Rao felt that the aim of NEP-2020 is to impart quality education to the students from LKG. He urged the government to implement the 5+3+3+4 pattern. He suggested the government that there should be two schools in each mandal—one for 6th class, 7th and 8th classes and the other for 9th, 10th, 10+1 and 10+2 classes. This would help students not to travel long distances to pursue education.

MTF State president S Rama Krishna said, "It is not correct to merge 3rd class, 4th class and 5th class in preliminary schools. There is need to upgrade the high schools having more than 500-student strength as junior colleges." He stressed on need to conduct primary and 3, 4, 5 classes in one school to check dropouts.