The Boyapati Siva Rama Krishna Municipal High School, tucked behind a multi-storeyed commercial complex at the Jemmi Chettu Centre in Moghalrajpuram, has been home to over 60 Class X girls for the past several weeks.
The school has been modified to serve temporarily as a lodging for the girls, who are undergoing special training for the upcoming SSC examinations scheduled to begin from March 18.
The special training is being imparted to ‘slow learners’ at residential camps being organised by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation as part of a statewide programme to improve the pass percentage and GPA among municipal students.
Facilities in place
Mobile toilets that are used in public functions have been installed at the school to be used by the girls, in addition to the existing washrooms. The classrooms double up as bedrooms. The girls wake up at 4.30 a.m. and prepare for a thorough day-long academic marathon that includes daily lessons as well as remedial classes. Another 101 boys who need special care are undergoing residential training at APSRM High School in Krishnalanka while another batch of 97 high performers have been made part of a residential camp at CVR Municipal High School under the Spark 10/10 programme as part of a long-term Advanced Foundation Course.
“Though our daughter initially refused to stay at school as there are no proper facilities, she began to adapt herself and gained confidence in the subjects that she used to struggle with. We understand that this is a temporary situation that is aimed at helping our wards perform well in the finals,” said K. Puspha, a mother.
“About 20 students left the camp in the initial days citing various reasons. We haven’t forced anyone to stay but explained why it is important for the student to undergo special training. All the students who are here have improved their command over subjects like mathematics and physics,” said K. Nagaraju, principal of Boyapati Sivarama Krishna Municipal High School.
‘Parents pleased’
“Some parents are happy with the special camps as they were unable to afford private tuitions. All the expenses of the camp are borne by the civic body and teachers are taking good care of the students on a round-the-clock basis. Female physical education teachers stay with the students at night,” said Mr. Nagaraju when asked about the safety of the girl students.
“After spending a couple of weeks in the camp revising the curriculum, we found students expressing confidence about taking the final examination,” said Deputy Education Officer (VMC) M. Nagalingeswara Rao. Parents are allowed to meet their wards every Sunday and they are served food.
Teachers oppose move
Meanwhile, the faculty are finding fault with the decisions of the municipal officials. After being asked not to avail leave until the SSC examinations are completed, teachers are now being asked to conduct classes for all SSC candidates even during the examinations until April 2. “It will be a tough task to arrange transportation for students to the exam centres and back to the camp. Also, the schools cannot double as exam centres and training camps as far as safety and other administrative aspects are concerned,” a municipal teacher said, adding that boys are asked to stay up to 8 p.m., and girls till 6 p.m. Municipal Teachers Federation president S. Ramakrishna said even corporate schools don’t have such practices.