VIJAYAWADA: The State government is taking steps for mapping Urdu medium upper primary and high schools as part of the plan to merge schools. According to the latest directions of the government, if all the subjects are taught in Urdu and students write SA2 exams in Urdu, only then the respective school will be mapped as an Urdu medium school.
Otherwise, it will be merged with the nearest Upper Primary and High Schools within 1-km radius or those students will continue to study in the nearest UP/High schools where the first language is Urdu. In the first phase, the mapping was limited to Urdu medium high schools. Shaik Kaleem, founder president of the Minority Teachers Association(MTA), said, “It shows the step-motherly attitude of the government towards Urdu Medium schools. On one hand, Urdu was declared as the second official language and steps are being initiated for the closure of Urdu medium schools, on the other”.
MF Rahaman, MTA general secretary, said the government was stating that Urdu will be taught as the first language in UP and high schools. “It is nothing but confusion. There are no school assistants (SA) in Telugu Medium high schools to teach Urdu,” he pointed out and questioned how the government can shift Second Grade Teachers (SGTs) without BEd to high schools as subject teachers.
Nasrullah, president, MTA Anantapur, requested the government to exempt Urdu medium schools from the merger process. First, the government said that Urdu Medium schools shall be merged only with Urdu Medium high schools. But now it changed the plan, he said.