2 days ago
DYFI demands solution for language volunteers' issues
Vijayawada: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) urged the state government to address the long-standing issues faced by language volunteers, who have been providing crucial services for the past 18 years.
G Ramanna, DYFI state secretary, highlighted the plight of 1,327 language volunteers across 7 ITDA (Integrated Tribal Development Agency) areas, who are struggling to support their families on a meager honorarium of just Rs. 5,000 per month.
DYFI representatives submitted a memorandum to M M Naik, principal secretary of tribal welfare department and the additional director of tribal welfare on Monday at the Secretariat, pressing for immediate action.
Ramanna stressed the urgent need for the state government to provide minimum wages of Rs 26,000 to these volunteers and ensure their job security. He also demanded the annual issuance of a Government Order (GO) for their renewal each academic year.
Language volunteers are instrumental in implementing the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) programme across Andhra Pradesh since 2007. They teach in tribal mother tongues such as Savara, Kuravi, Konda, Adivasi Oriya, Koya, and Sugali, in addition to Telugu, English, and Hindi, in schools ranging from MPPS, UPS, GES, and GUPS. This approach has significantly reduced student dropout rates and encouraged children to stay in school. Currently, 1,122 schools across the state conduct education in tribal mother tongues for grades 1 to 5, benefiting approximately 52,000 children. The DYFI highlighted the inconsistent renewal of these volunteers' services, noting that after a period of non-renewal post-state bifurcation in 2014, they were renewed briefly in 2019 but stopped again in the 2022 academic year. While the previous government renewed them from August to February in 2023 following protests, their services were discontinued in March and April. The volunteers have confirmed that their renewals have resumed from July this academic year under the new coalition government.
Ramanna stressed that many language volunteers possess and qualifications, along with Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) certification. He demanded that they be recognised as CRT contract employees and called for the reinstatement of G.O. No. 3 and the release of a Special DSC notification for their regularisation. Kunj Naveen, State Secretary of the Language Volunteers Association, along with Lalitha, Nagamani, Kiran, Sagar, Bhavani, Roja, Uma Maheswari, Sai Vennela, and others were present.
