NALGONDA: Unless the state government swings into action, corporate schools in Telangana are set to stop admissions of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) students under the Best Available Scheme (BAS) from the next academic year.
Administrators of corporate schools say that the state government has failed to clear pending payments for the past two years. BAS was introduced in 2008 by the government of undivided Andhra Pradesh with the aim of offering corporate education to children from poor SC/ST families by covering their fees.
Currently, the scheme is being implemented in around 100 private schools in Telangana, including 12 in Nalgonda district. Schools that register 90% pass for five consecutive years in Class 10 can apply for BAS. Admissions are granted based on the SC and ST population in each district. For SC students, the scheme offers admissions in Class 1 and Class 5, while ST students can apply for Classes 3, 5 and 8. Seats are allotted via a lottery system held in June.
The state government pays Rs 42,000 per student per year for tuition fees, textbooks, uniforms, meals and medical expenses.
However, the administrators of several corporate schools say that they are facing financial strain due to non-payment of dues for one or two years. School managements have been requesting the state government not to allocate students under BAS from next year. A school chairman said that while the government earlier released the payments once every three months, payments have now stalled for over two years.
School administrators say that they are unable to bear the financial impact as they face rising costs. They urge the government to address the issue, possibly by including BAS under the green channel scheme for priority payments. If no action is taken, many SC/ST students will lose access to corporate education, they say.
A district official, requesting anonymity, acknowledged the pending payments. The official said that reminders have been sent to the state government and once funds are sanctioned, they would be released to the schools.
Unable to bear financial strain: Schools
School administrators say they are unable to bear the financial impact of rising costs. They urge the government to address the issue, possibly by including BAS under the green channel scheme for priority payments.