Municipal teachers are worried that the lack of education volunteers will affect the results of 22,000 students of Class X studying in municipal schools across Andhra Pradesh. According to them, there is already a shortage of 2,400 subject teachers in 334 municipal high schools, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
Only 14 teachers are working for 1,150 students in Mangalagiri Municipal High School of Guntur District and there is still a shortage of 24 teachers. A similar situation prevails in municipal schools in many areas across the state, as per the TNIE report. Every year, every municipal corporation allocates education volunteers from their general funds to increase the pass percentage of Class X students. As a result, the pass percentage has increased significantly in the previous years.
Meanwhile, recently, keeping in mind the vacancy of subject teachers in 29 high schools in Vijayawada Corporation, the Mayor, Commissioner and Corporators all together took a decision sanctioning 140 education volunteers and passed it in the council. A large percentage of those volunteers have also joined the duties. Moreover, a decision was taken to pay Rs 8,000 to them as an honorarium.
From June 24, 2022, the monitoring of the municipal schools was transferred to the Education Department from municipal administration. However, the municipal corporations have not yet allocated education volunteers. Due to this, the parents are worried that the pass percentage of their children might decrease this year. S Ramakrishna, State President of the Municipal Teachers Federation (MTF) said, "We are grateful to the Vijayawada Municipal Council for taking the lead in appointing education volunteers within their limits. He urged all the other mayors of municipal corporations and chairmen to grant education volunteers immediately in municipal schools by utilising two per cent education cess which is being collected in addition to house tax.
