Tirupati: Government puts an end to aided education system

Tirupati/Nellore: The government's decision to dispense with the aided education system has been creating ripples in the State.

Most of the unaided schools and colleges will now become part of history. The government issued three GOs, mentioning the modalities for aided degree, junior colleges and schools asking the institutions to give their willingness for merger with the government. For various reasons, most of the aided institutions have already given their willingness to surrender their teaching and non-teaching staff to the government.

The teaching and non-teaching staff have been expressing happiness that they will have several chances in promotions by entering the government service. But then they are also not sure how the seniority would be fixed.

There are about 125 aided degree, and another 125 junior colleges in the State in addition to around 2,300 aided schools. The teaching and non-teaching staff of all degree and junior colleges have already given their willingness to be absorbed by the government whereas the process of taking willingness from aided teachers is continuing at district levels.

The government asked the colleges and schools to surrender their grant-in-aid by surrendering all sanctioned aided posts along with aided staff for absorption into the government. Those institutions being run under the Trusts or those that were allotted land by the government have to surrender their properties along with the staff. Other institutions have the option of surrendering the property.

If any institution surrenders all the property to the government, it will be run as a government institute.

If the management is unwilling to surrender their own property, they have to run the institute as an unaided one like any other private institute. Several reputed colleges like BT College, Madanapalli; VR College, Nellore; Jawahar Bharathi College, Kavali and many other schools and colleges across the State have left with no staff and almost closed. The existing students will be adjusted in the nearby institutes. The aided staff were already working at the government colleges on a temporary basis as their final posting process is expected to be completed by October end. General secretary of AP Junior Lecturers' Association V Ravi said that they submitted a memorandum to the government that the newly absorbed staff should not face any hurdles for their promotions and they should be taken with zero service. Similarly, their postings should be completed only after the general transfers in the government colleges are completed.