220 Govt Jr Colleges To Be Shut Down Due To ‘Lack Of Student Strength’ .

Hyderabad: A day before the dawn of a new decade, the state government has decided to cut down its meagre share of government junior colleges only to further widen the existing gap between private and public education in Andhra Pradesh. According to a decision taken by the Directorate of Collegiate Education, out of the 820 government junior colleges in the state, 220 will be closed before the start of the 2011-12 academic year.

    The secondary education department, incharge of intermediate education in the state, claims that the colleges that are about to face the axe do not have enough strength to run classes. But government lecturers and educationists claim that the move is meant to give a free hand to private junior colleges that are ruling the roost in intermediate education in the state.

    Interestingly, according to government junior college lecturers, opposition against the closure is raging in the Telanagana belt as around 70 colleges to be closed are from this region.

    Officials said that the colleges are being closed as per the education Act which specifies the number of students required in each classroom to run the institute. “If students are not opting for government colleges we’ll have to wind up the classes,” said officials. According to officials, the colleges do not have enough students across streams.

    However, government junior college lecturers blamed the state government for causing a gradual exodus of students. “The government allowed private junior colleges to mushroom throughout the state without even checking the quality of education they were providing. Within a radius of one km of every government junior college in the state, there are 10 private junior colleges. All these colleges have come only with the permission of the state government,” Md Ismail, general secretary, Telangana Private Junior College Association said. 
                        The dropout rate in government colleges has increased following the introduction of schemes including the ones where students from government schools are given incentives to study in a private junior college.

    The state government is currently pumping in as much as Rs 30,000 per student as tuition fee for studying in a private junior college.Lecturers claimed that in the last decade alone the state government had cut down maintenance funds for government junior colleges.

    According to lecturers, 265 government junior colleges are running in temporary premises as the state has not yet sanctioned funds for setting up permanent structures. “About 90 per cent of the staff in government junior colleges in the state is recruited on a contract basis. Since the qualification required for such recruits is lower than the permanent ones, the quality of education falls further,” said a government college lecturer. Students in the colleges that will be closed will be accommodated in other government colleges.

    Meanwhile, AP Government Junior College Lecturers Association has decided to oppose the move. “Based on the findings of a cabinet subcommittee, the infrastructure facilities and faculty strength in private colleges are poorer compared to government junior colleges.

    However, the state government has not taken any action against the erring private colleges so far and is now attempting to close down more government colleges. This is nothing but a move to help private junior colleges in the state,” said Madhusudan Reddy, secretary, AP Government Junior College Lecturers’ Association.

WHO TO BLAME?
The dropout rate in government colleges has increased following the introduction of schemes including the ones where students from government schools are given incentives to study in a private junior college. The state government is currently pumping in as much as Rs 30,000 per student as tuition fee for studying in a private junior college.