Majority of budget private schools in the undivided Karimnagar district are on the verge of closure following the outbreak of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown during the current academic year 2020-2021.
On the other hand, it would come as a blessing in disguise for government schools, which were struggling for enrolment. Following the closure of private schools, they are seeing a steady increase in enrolment.
With lockdown in force, many private school managements were unable to pay salaries to their staff since April as parents were unable to pay the fees. As such, staff of many of these schools vacated their rented houses, returned to their native places and took up other works, including working on agricultural fields. Some of them took up NREGS works while women teachers opened eateries.
As for school managements, they were unable to repay bank loans and power bills. “We are ready to sell away our school, but still we are not in a position to clear the debts,” said a private school correspondent in Rampur locality.
He said parents would not send their wards to private schools as they were not in a position to pay dues and the fees of the new academic year; they would prefer to send their children to government schools which also provide free English medium instruction, books, midday meals etc, he said.
Telangana Recognised Schools Management Association (TRSMA) president and correspondent of a school in Karimnagar Y Shekhar Rao said already about 500 private schools were closed out of a total of 1,470 schools in the district. He demanded that the government provide at least six months’ salaries to private teaching and non-teaching staff to help them resume operations.