VIJAYAWADA: Municipal schools in the State are poised for improved management and better educational outcomes, benefiting both students and teachers with the government directing Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to address key administrative and maintenance issues.
The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Department issued a circular to this effect. It called for reinstating non-teaching staff, improve school sanitation and infrastructure, and funding provisions to ensure smooth operations and enhanced educational standards at municipal schools. As per the circular, the supervision and administrative responsibilities of municipal schools, including service matters of municipal teachers, was entrusted to the School Education Department. Instructions were also issued to continue employing non-teaching staff in municipal schools and ensure proper maintenance of the facilities. A GO, issued earlier this year, clarified that part-time staff such as sweepers in municipal schools would remain under the purview of the MA&UD Department. Additionally, municipal councils and corporations would retain responsibility for the upkeep of school premises, payment of electricity bills, and necessary repairs.
Appreciating the decision, State President for Municipal Teachers Federation (MTF) S Ramakrishna thanked the government for recognising the difficulties faced by headmasters due to the absence of non-teaching staff. He told TNIE, “These measures will help stabilise the municipal education system.”
Underscoring the need to develop municipal schools comprehensively, the GO read, “Commissioners must ensure that sanitation, regular electricity, and school maintenance are prioritised.” It also instructed municipalities to supply essential materials, including school records, chalk, and office stationery, through general funds. Highlighting staffing challenges, the circular noted that many ULBs had withdrawn non-teaching staff from schools, transferring them to municipal offices. The lack of support had overburdened the teaching staff with administrative tasks. The government directed ULBs to reinstate the staff immediately and ensure compliance with directives.
Terming the reinstatement of non-teaching staff a positive development, Organising Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Upadhyaya Sangam Ch Shravan Kumar opined, “They will play a crucial role in addressing the growing administrative workload in schools, allowing the teaching staff to solely focus on academics.”
The Regional Directors of Municipal Administration (RDMAs) have been tasked with guiding ULB chiefs to implement these directives and ensure there are no deviations.