Absence of PTR norms, assignment of BLO worsen situation
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Feb 1: With the financial year nearing its end, the School Education Department in Jammu and Kashmir has resorted to hurriedly organising multiple teacher training programmes to exhaust allocated funds, thus allegedly disrupting regular academic activities in several Government schools, which are already grappling with acute staff shortages and poor implementation of the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) norms.
According to the teachers’ associations and school heads, a number of teachers are being deputed to attend back-to-back workshops, orientation programmes and capacity-building trainings during working school days, leading to frequent classroom disruptions and, in a few cases, complete suspension of teaching in the schools, particularly in rural and far-flung areas at the time when the annual examinations are round the corner.
“A number of our schools are already functioning with minimum staff. When one or two teachers are sent for training for days together, the remaining staff cannot manage all classes. The result is that students either sit idle or classes are clubbed, affecting learning outcomes,” said Headmaster of a Government middle school in Jammu district, wishing not to be named.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Parents have also voiced concern over repeated loss of teaching days at a time when students are preparing for annual examinations. “Our children have already suffered learning losses due to shortage of teachers and delayed syllabus completion. Now, in the name of trainings, teachers are being pulled out of classrooms. Who will compensate students for this loss of study time?” questioned a parent.
Teachers’ bodies alleged that the sudden spurt in training programmes at the fag end of the financial year is driven more by the urgency to utilise budgetary allocations than by any well-planned academic calendar. “No one is against professional development of teachers. Trainings are important. But these should be scheduled in a planned manner, preferably during vacations or non-teaching days. What is happening now is budget-driven, not education-driven,” said a representative of a teachers’ association.
The issue has assumed greater significance in the backdrop of the long-pending implementation of the Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) as mandated under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Several Government schools across Jammu region continue to function with a severe shortage of subject teachers, with some primary and middle schools reportedly having only one or two teachers to handle multiple classes. In such a scenario, the deputation of teachers for trainings further worsens the already strained teaching system.
Further, appointment of Teachers and Masters as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) by the Election authorities is another factor contributing to frequent disruption to classroom teaching and loss of studies in the Government schools.
“The frequent disruptions to classroom teaching, particularly at the time when only a few days are left for annual examinations, will have implications on students’ academic performance in Government schools and when exam results show poor performance, teachers are held guilty and punished without looking into the exact reasons behind the same,” said head of an institution, who has been repeatedly approaching the higher authorities for deployment of adequate number of teachers in his school where the students’ strength is around 300.
Lack of seriousness of the top authorities towards streamlining the School Education Department can be further gauged from the fact that more than 300 posts of Headmaster and around 40 posts of ZEO are lying vacant in Jammu Division since long thus severely affecting functioning of these headless schools and Education Zones.
Despite repeated attempts, Minister for Education and Secretary School Education Department could not be contacted. On the condition of anonymity, an official in the School Education Department maintained that teacher trainings are part of ongoing capacity-building initiatives aimed at improving teaching quality and aligning classroom practices with the National Education Policy (NEP). However, he added, the department should look into concerns regarding classroom disruption and ensure better planning in future.
The stakeholders have urged the Government to streamline training schedules, ensure substitute arrangements in schools where teachers are deputed, and prioritise the rational deployment of teachers to meet PTR norms. They have also demanded that academic interests of students should not be compromised in the name of financial year-end expenditure management, election duty or any non-teaching assignments.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
