‘9,000 single-teacher schools running in Andhra Pradesh’

‘There are around 9,000 single-teacher schools which have a strength of less than 20 students in Andhra Pradesh,’ said Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana.

Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana has said that there are around 9,000 single-teacher schools which have a strength of less than 20 students in the State.

“Single-teacher schools are those where the student strength is below 20. If the strength is above 20, we are allotting two teachers in such schools as per norms,” the Minister said at a press conference held here on Monday.

Mr. Satyanarayana said that in every mandal, five teachers were kept on reserve (mobile teachers), who will be allotted duties at single-teacher schools whenever the teacher goes on leave.

Discussions were held with the teachers’ union leaders on allotting subject teachers up to Class III, and filling the posts of computer operator and watchman at the schools, he said.

“We request parents to enrol their children at government-run educational institutions such as Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, and schools run by the social welfare, tribal welfare, Ekalavya and other schools as the government is focusing on strengthening them,” the Minister said.

Stating that professors from 175 engineering colleges have been identified to impart training and ideation to the teachers in schools, Mr. Satyanarayana has said that teachers would be allotted only teaching duties.

“Out of 82,547 teachers who applied for transfers in the State, 52,240 were transferred and about 98.23 per cent of the teachers joined in new places. In all, 679 Mandal Education Officer (MEO) posts have been created and eligible headmasters were upgraded. The teacher transfers were done in a transparent manner,” the Minister said.