VIJAYAWADA: Alleging that the state government has been clamping down on private schools, BJP state chief Somu Veerraju urged the state government to announce a monthly financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to school teachers who have not had any income in the last eight months due to the COVID-19-imposed lockdown and the restrictions in the aftermath. The BJP leader also said that the government should exempt “small private schools” from the ambit of fee regulatory and monitoring commission.
In a letter sent to the Chief Minister on Tuesday, Somu, who is also an MLC, claimed that 3.5 lakh teachers and staff lost employment due to the lockdown. He added that the private education sector was hugely affected due to COVID-19 lockdown and lost about 40 per cent of income due to it. Somu also asked the government to extend the moratorium on loan for schools till June, 2021, exempt small schools from regulatory commission’s ambit, extend renewal of recognition from three years to 10 years, and extend the period of road tax, fitness and insurance validity for school buses till May, 2021.