Free-for-all option in Andhra junior colleges ending soon

By Sharon Thambala Amaravati, Nov 26 : If Andhra Pradesh government has its way without any hurdles, educational institutions offering the two-year intermediate course will go through a paradigm shift after decades of free-for-all exploitation, abuse and commercial enterprise.
Asbestos sheds as classrooms, premises sans fire safety certificates, mind numbing advertisements blitz, admission hunting, compelling teaching staff to market colleges, overcrowded classrooms and other transgressions will be a thing of the past.
In a state like AP, where an average family places a high premium on education at any cost, some enterprising individuals smelled a business opportunity and started intermediate colleges in the past four decades, which grew into formidable corporate players in the due course of time.
Starting an educational institution is not a crime but exploiting the system with an ambition to increase revenues is a serious issue, which occurred without regulation across the Telugu states.
Over the years, several junior colleges erected makeshift sheds without libraries, playgrounds, proper facilities and crammed students to call them intermediate colleges.
It is exactly this abuse of the system which V. Ramakrishna, Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) secretary is aiming to shatter for the good of lakhs of students.