16,357 govt. schools functioning with single teacher in A.P., alleges Sharmila

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila on Thursday said that 16,357 government schools in Andhra Pradesh are functioning with only one teacher each, describing it as the “true report card” of the NDA governments at the Centre and in the State.

In a post on X, Ms. Sharmila criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government and the State government headed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, alleging that while they had made tall promises about the future of education. But, they failed to address the shortage of teachers in government schools.

She said thousands of children were being deprived of the basic necessity of having a teacher in every classroom, despite repeated claims by the governments about improving the education sector.

Questioning the State government’s relationship with the Centre, Ms. Sharmila said Mr. Naidu often claimed to enjoy a special rapport with the Prime Minister. If that were the case, she asked, why Andhra Pradesh had failed to secure even the minimum support required to ensure adequate teacher strength in government schools.

The APCC chief contended that a government unable to provide a teacher for every school had no moral authority to speak about building the future of children.

She asserted that students needed teachers rather than publicity and maintained that Andhra Pradesh deserved justice instead of excuses from the governments.