Vijayawada: Admit children in government schools, parents urged

Vijayawada: Parents who face financial problems should admit their children in the government schools to experience the difference from the private schools, said Justice R Kantha Rao, chairman of Andhra Pradesh School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APSERMC).

Addressing newsmen here on Wednesday along with vice-chairman Dr Vijaya Sarada Reddy and Secretary Aluru Sambasiva Reddy, Justice Kantha Rao said that the private school managements have been spreading canards against the commission for merely asking them to submit information regarding the fee they are collecting and the services they are providing.

He regretted that some of the private managements have even gone to the courts when the commission issued notification demanding information from them. Justice Kantha Rao clarified that the commission was merely seeking information on the number of students, condition of the classrooms, qualification of teachers and other infrastructure details.

Recalling the High Court decision stopping introduction of English medium in primary education, he said that 97 per cent of parents are interested in English medium for their children. He said that it was not true as published in a section of media that the volunteers forced the parents to opt for English medium.

He suggested to the parents to admit their children studying lower classes in government schools for at least two years to know the difference between the government and private institutions. "There are qualified teachers, nutritional food, uniform, footwear, textbooks and notebooks among other facilities in the government schools," he pointed out.

Dr Vijaya Sarada Reddy said that the commission would place all the details of all schools and their standards online for verification by the parents. "This would facilitate the parents to choose the schools to get their children admitted," she said.

Secretary Sambasiva Reddy said that English medium plays an important role to study professional courses and higher education. He said that the AP is the only state in the country which is implementing Amma Vodi scheme.