Mangalagiri: TDP demands withdrawal GO on aided schools

Mangalagiri: TDP MLC P Ashok Babu on Saturday advised the Jagan Mohan Reddy government to withdraw GO No 42 in order to preserve and protect the decades-old system of aided educational institutions in the state.

Ashok Babu said it was unbecoming of the Jagan government to use its habitual tactics of political rowdyism to suppress the managements of aided colleges, including those under the management of minorities.

The GO 42 was unlawful and draconian as it had contained threats to the aided managements if they did not surrender their aided staff and properties to the state government. This sort of suppression of educational institutions was not seen anywhere in the country and never before in the history of AP, he said.

Addressing a press conference at party state office here, the TDP leader demanded the Chief Minister to change his arbitrary policies considering the rising resentment from different sections.

Now, over 12 aided institutions including the noted Andhra Loyola, A J Kalasala in Machilipatnam, SVAS College in Giddalur and MG College in Guntur, had challenged GO 42 in the court. The YSRCP regime should realise the foolishness of its policy and start taking a right policy regarding the aided institutions.

Ashok Babu said that the aided system was continuing in the country since the 1880s, when the kings and affluent people donated lands and money to start and run colleges by paying even salaries of teachers. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy was trying to smash such a long running aided system that had helped in providing educational opportunities to generations of students.

The YSRCP regime was putting out an illogical argument that there was no need for aided system since it was implementing Nadu-Nedu, Amma Vodi, Jagananna Vidya Deevena and such programmes.

The TDP MLC said that there were 9,000 teaching staff and 5,000 non-teaching staff in aided posts in over 140 degree colleges and 118 junior colleges in the state.

The AP and Central governments were contributing 50 per cent each towards Rs 565 crore on these aided staff. Though the burden was far less, the Jagan regime was giving flimsy excuses to kill the aided system, he said.