Govt. schools out of fashion in Nimmakuru

October 04, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:51 am IST - NIMMAKURU:

Former students of the government primary school at Patha Nimmakuru.—Photo: T. Appala Naidu

Former students of the government primary school at Patha Nimmakuru.—Photo: T. Appala Naidu

As the native place of former chief minister and TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao, Nimmakuru may qualify as a VIP village, but the ongoing process of winding down government-run education has not spared the village.

Two primary schools run by the government have been shut down in the village in the last three years: owing to a lack of teachers at one school and poor student strength at the other.

When they downed shutters, both schools had only one student each.

One of them, the Mandal Parishad Primary School, was inaugurated by then Mr Rama Rao himself in November 1985.

The last teacher of the school was a volunteer, Ms. N. Prameela, who was brought in when the regular master, the only one, was transferred in 2012. The strength of the school had already dwindled because the lone teacher used to be kept busy with meetings and summons from the mandal HQ, etc.

When she was appointed, Ms. Prameela was asked to canvas parents in the poorer localities to send their children to her school. But it had already become difficult by then to convince parents, even low-income ones, to keep faith in government education.

“They were difficult to convince,” Ms Prameela said. “Parents told me government teachers are kept busy with meetings, and the children are left to their own devices. They preferred to send their children to the nearest convent school even if it was more expensive.”

Still, Ms. Prameela managed to get four new admissions. But then she lost her job when she went on maternity leave and there was no replacement. And that was that for the Mandal Parishad Primary School.

“There are poor families here who cannot afford education in private schools. They would be keen to send their children to government schools if only the teachers were regular,” said Ms. Prameela.

The school building now serves Nimmakuru as a function hall.

The other government school used to be at Patha Nimmakuru, a hamlet of Nimmakuru panchayat. It was started in 1991 and limped on until 2013 when it closed, with just one student left.

The reason was the same: parents prefer to send their children to private schools. Even those with a limited income, stretch it to be able to send the kids to ‘convent’ schools. That’s why the strength of government schools is dwindling in rural Andhra Pradesh, even in VIP Nimmakuru.

It’s those on the margins of the economy that have no choice but to rely on government schools. And the new government policy of closing down government schools if the strength isn’t at least 18 is bringing the process to its culmination.

After the Patha Nimmakuru school closed down, the poorest children of the hamlet go to the lone government school in the dalitawada of Nimmakuru panchayat, braving monkeys and street dogs along the way.

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