As lack of toilets and improper maintenance of existing facilities have made it difficult for many children in the state to attend schools, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy launched a toilet maintenance fund of Rs 445 crore in order to ensure healthy and hygienic sanitation practices in government schools. The CM has directed officials to establish a committee at the state, district, school or college level on the toilet management fund.
The CM said: “Sanitary ware and plumbing problems should be fixed as soon as possible. The maintenance of toilets should be given the highest priority.” With schemes like Amma Vodi, Nadu Nedu, Vidya Kanuka, Jaganna Gorumudda, the state government has brought revolutionary changes in educational institutions. Also, quality teaching has been made available through English medium.
The conventional assumption that government schools lack basic amenities underwent a sea-change in 2020, thanks to various government programmes. The determined approach saw schools boasting of toilets with running water facility, electricity with fans and lights, drinking water, furniture for teachers and students, painting of buildings, major/minor repairs, green boards, English labs, compound walls and kitchen sheds. Now, the state government have also set up an additional toilet fund to bring healthy conditions to schools and take steps to keep them maintained properly.
Meanwhile, Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, said that political will is key to usher in change and the Andhra Pradesh government has shown it to bring revolutionary changes in the education sector. Sisodia expressed willingness to send his team to the state to study the AP model of education system. “When teams from other states visit Delhi to study our education model, I try to see the driving force behind them, whether it is mere curiosity or more than that. When I met the team from Andhra, I could sense the political will to transform the sector,” he said.