Elementary schools teacher-deficient

Srinagar, July 6: Despite serious efforts, the streamlining of the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) in government schools has thrown up a major challenge for the School Education Department (SED).

Currently, the dearth of teachers at elementary-level schools has left the students at the receiving end as their academics is taking a toll in teacher-deficient schools.

Over the years, the SED has been struggling to streamline the PTR in schools, but the adjustment of teachers has become a challenging exercise as most of the primary and middle schools have been rendered teacher-deficient.

This is due to the department shifting teachers from elementary schools and deploying them at secondary and senior secondary schools.

The arrangement has been in vogue for the last year to overcome the dearth of subject-specific teachers at secondary-level schools and lecturers at higher secondary-level schools.

The arrangement has left the elementary schools teacher-deficient and is depriving school children of quality education.

“The move has resulted in a crisis in the primary and middle schools because the schools particularly in rural areas have encouraging enrollment but are facing a dearth of teachers,” an official said.

He said that three to four teachers run the middle schools having students from 1st to 8th standard while two to three teachers run the primary schools having students in five classes.

“It is not humanly possible for two teachers to manage five classes simultaneously,” the official said.

He said that the deputation of teachers from middle and primary schools to high and higher secondary schools was done without following merits.

The official said that besides academics, the teachers were given charge of maintaining admission records, Mid-Day Meals, and other assignments as well.

“In most of the cases, academics take a back seat as the teacher remains busy dealing with other assignments given by the department,” he said.

Even though the School Education Department (SED) has started an exercise to recruit Cluster Resource Coordinators (CRCs) on a contract basis for the higher secondary schools, the exercise is yet to be completed due to which the teachers shifted from elementary schools continue to remain posted in High and higher secondary schools.

The department has issued a notification under which around 748 CRCs would be recruited to provide teaching support in schools given the non-availability of subject-specific teachers and lecturers in the schools.

While the recruitment process was yet to be completed, the students enrolled in elementary-level schools continued to remain at the receiving end due to the dearth of teachers.

Amid the dearth of teachers, the authorities are continuing with the process of deployment and redeployment of teachers in schools.

Amid the crises, the teachers are posted on a timetable basis in more than one school to overcome the dearth of teachers.

In the Drugmulla zone, a Mathematics teacher posted at Middle School has been deputed to Boys Higher Secondary School Drugmulla to teach mathematics in the “second half”.

Such arrangements are being made by the Cluster heads in coordination with the concerned Zonal Education Officers.

Director of School Education Kashmir Tasaduq Hussain Mir was not available for his comments on the issue.