HC irritated over AP officials forcing school managements to surrender ownership
Vijayawada: The High Court has expressed its irritation over the AP government forcing managements of government-aided educational institutions to surrender them and their staff to it, despite the government claiming it is taking over only those that are willing to come by.
A division bench of Chief Justice A.K. Goswami and Justice J. Umadevi heard a batch of petitions on Friday, challenging an ordinance and the GO 50, filed by the Sri Saraswathi Aided Upper Primary School correspondent D.V. Subba Rao, as also managements of several private aided schools and students.
The petitioners’ contention was that the state government had decided to stop financial aid to the private aided schools, junior and degree colleges by advising them either to run them on their own or hand them over to the government.
The court observed that though the government was claiming it was not forcing any educational institution to surrender its management to the government, the ground reality was different. “The education officials are acting differently.”
The court said, “If the officials intend to act smart, the court will act in a smarter manner on this issue.”
The court suspended the order issued by the Kadapa district education officer, which directed the staff to make the managements heed the call to surrender the posts in aided schools.
The court directed school education commissioner China Veerabhadrudu to explain the issue and also the action taken against officials who were forcing the management of educational institutions to surrender their institutions and the posts to the government. “Do attend the court in person,” the court asked the commissioner and posted the next hearing to September 29.
Petitioners’ counsel Subba Rao argued that education officials were subjecting the managements of aided educational institutions to surrender the aided posts to the government.
Government pleader Raghuveer submitted to the court that they were not forcing any management for forcible surrender and said that only those willing to do so were being taken into government control.
He informed the court that action would be taken against officials if they were found mounting pressure on school managements for surrendering the institutions to the government.
