TIRUPATI: Covid-19 has forced the education sector to undergo a sea change. Despite continuing the academics virtually, there was a delay in conducting the semester exams in colleges and year-end tests in schools.
Moreover, private educational institutions are fearing that the surging cases of a new Covid variant across the country may affect the current academic year as well. With this, colleges and schools are trying to complete their syllabus as soon as possible.
Schools in the state officially re-opened on August 16. Initially, they witnessed a low turnout of students amid fears of a third wave of Covid-19.
Under the first phase of ‘Mana Badi-Nadu Nedu’, a scheme that was launched in November 2019 to give a facelift to educational institutions, Rs 3,669 crore was spent on modernising over 15,715 government schools in the state.
“Every school should be turned model with all facilities being provided under the Nadu-Nedu programme. The state government has been giving top priority to both the education and health sectors. Works for the first phase under Nadu-Nedu have been completed and the second phase will be completed soon as well,” said Nellore district collector KVN Chakradhar Babu.
Meanwhile, there has been some respite to teachers of private institutions as some were able to get back their old jobs while others found new ones. “I lost my job and had been involved in menial works. I have worked as an assistant to an electrician and even as a daily wager for just Rs 250 a day. I have no other source to run my family and am forced to do the daily labor. After the reopening of colleges, I have started my search for a job. Finally, I got a job in a private junior college in the city,” said B Krishna Chaitanya, a junior lecturer in Nellore city.
Meanwhile, there was a mixed response to the New Education Policy. Many parents in the rural pockets opposed it saying that switching to English medium will be a tough task for the students who have already studying in Telugu medium in rural areas.
Customised online education