Left-wing student orgs oppose Congress govt’s school cluster plan, call bandh on July 10

Left-wing student organisations in Kothagudem have opposed the Congress government’s move to merge 27,000 schools into 4,000 clusters, terming it detrimental to public education. They have announced a statewide bandh of educational institutions on July 10.

Kothagudem: Left-wing student organisations have opposed the Congress government’s decision to consolidate as many as 27,000 government schools into 4,000 cluster schools.

Demanding withdrawal of the decision the organisations have called for schools’ bandh on July 10. A preparatory meeting for the July 10 bandh was held here on Friday. PDSU district president Burra Veerabhadram, AISF district secretary Varaka Ajith, SFI district president Manda Nagakrishna and PDSU district secretary Durgam Pranay addressed the media.

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The education sector across the State and the country has been facing a severe crisis. Both the Central and State governments are implementing policies that undermine public education and turn education into a commercial commodity.

The government has failed to address issues such as fee exploitation by private and corporate educational institutions, forced sales of textbooks and uniforms. The failure to fill vacant teacher posts in government schools and colleges is weakening public sector education. Cuts imposed in the budget for the education sector have been jeopardising the future of students, the student leaders complained.

They wanted the government to release Rs 7,000 crore in pending student scholarships and fee reimbursement dues and pass a resolution in the Assembly rejecting the implementation of the New Education Policy in the State.

They appealed to students, parents, teachers and civil society organisations to make the statewide bandh of educational institutions aimed at addresssing the issues and exert pressure on the government, a success.