In what could turn out to be an assessment of government school education, the Telangana High Court on Friday directed the State government to undertake a study of all government schools of any one taluk in rural area.
The direction was issued by the division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy. It was hearing a PIL filed by MV Foundation national convenor R. Venkat Reddy. The petitioner sought direction to government to evolve systems for improving learning outcome of students in government and aided schools in the State.
Interim directions
In the interim directions issued on Friday, the bench directed government to review the teaching systems and the skills earned by students in all government schools. For this, the officials should select a taluk -preferably in rural area- and make an adequate empirical study of the infrastructure available and the end products who are students.
In the last hearing, the bench had directed the government to come with concrete proposals on systems in government schools to improve learning outcomes of the students.
Responding over the affidavit filed by the Government Pleader for School Education C. Vani Reddy, Mr. Arjun Kumar told the bench that government's statement suggests everything was hunky dory. “They had not come with any specific proposals on improving the system,” he told the court.
Stating that the petitioner's counsel raised a valid point, the CJ drew parallels between the government hospitals and schools. Teachers and doctors for government schools and hospitals respectively are selected after holding competitive tests.
But the way these institutions are run make people feel that they are second-grade in extending services, the CJ remarked, stating that he himself was a beneficiary of government hospital.
Everyone should start thinking about the ways and means in further improving such institutions.
In government schools, “the parent-teacher connectivity is important because it instils confidence among the parents and propels them to continue their wards in government schools,” the Chief Justice said.
He sought to know how many of the children admitted in government-run Anganwadi centres (play schools in villages) are continuing to study in government primary and high schools of the same area.
He asked the government to compile the data of one area in this regard and present it before the bench of the court.
