Coronavirus has created new social inequalities in the education sector, said national convener of Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiah Foundation R. Venkata Reddy.
Addressing a State-level convention on ‘Corona-Its Impact on Education Sector’, jointly organised by United Teachers Federation (UTF), Jana Vignana Vedika (JVV), Student Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Mr. Reddy said schools inculcate a questioning spirit in them, give them some sense of social justice and teach them how to socialise.
But coronavirus shattered it all. It kept children away from schools and forced them to go to work instead. Many parents got their young girls married when the schools remained shut for two years, he said.
Children were also deprived of the mid-day meals and the digital classes that the government conducted during the lockdown period remained inaccessible to children from the lower strata of the society, he pointed out.
Mr. Reddy demanded allocation of 30 % of the budget to the education sector and measures to create a congenial atmosphere in schools.
Progressive Democratic Forum MLC V. Balasubramanyam said surveys had shown a steady decline in educational standards since 2014. He denounced the government attempt to shrink school education sector to 12,000 schools, reduce 1,86,000 teacher posts to 1,10,000 and cancellation of aided education system.
