Ongole: Classes 3, 4 & 5 to be mapped in high schools in 1 km range

Ongole: In continuation of mapping of primary classes into classes in high schools, the government is now exercising the procedure to map schools within a range of one kilometre during the academic year of 2022-23. The district officials have already identified the schools from which classes 3, 4, and 5 can be shifted, and are working on where they could be shifted, by studying the natural barriers and observing the limitations.

To make sure the education system in Andhra Pradesh State is in line with National Education Policy 2020, the government is mapping the schools in such a way that classes 3, 4, and 5 in primary schools are mapped with upper primary and high schools.

Last year, the government completed mapping of schools in 250 meters range and this year, it is exercising to map schools in one km range. The officials informed that the government has strictly ordered them that no primary school should be closed, no Urdu medium schools are closed and no mapping is done, if the students are forced to cross natural barriers like railway bridges, highways, canals etc to reach the new school.

The district education officers of the erstwhile districts submitted to the government that they identified the number of schools, from where the classes 3, 4 and 5 can be shifted to the nearby high schools, and informed that the number is about 850 in Guntur, 650 in Krishna, 750 in Kurnool, 1,130 in East Godavari etc.

Prakasam DEO B Vijaya Bhaskar said that last year they merged classes 3, 4, and 5 in 210 primary schools in 191 high schools on the same campus and at a distance of 250 meters. He said that there is no suppression of teachers' posts, as they are shifting teachers also to high schools and giving PG teachers a chance to teach high school students, while subject teachers teach primary classes. He observed that mapping will help in the reduction of dropout rate, as students continue their education after 5th class in the same school.

The DEO said that now they are mapping 3, 4 and 5 classes in 810 schools into high schools of a range of one kilometre. He said the MEOs are scrutinising each school for the availability of additional classrooms and teachers to handle the classes, and the process will end soon.