Members of various social organisations and government school development and monitoring committees staged a protest in the city on Monday against the redeployment of additional teachers to schools with few or no teachers.
While one set of agitators protested under the banner of Samana Manaska Shikshana Aasakta Sanghatenegala Okkoota, another group did so under the banner of Durga Friends Club, Bantwal.
Break from norm
Addressing the protesters, activist Renni D’Souza said the formula on which the number of ‘additional’ teachers has been calculated is against the norm prescribed in the Right to Education Act, which mandates having one teacher per class. The norm of having one teacher for 10 and fewer children, which is being followed now, is against the RTE Act, he said. Mr. D’Souza said quality education cannot be disseminated by following this norm. The need for subject experts has been totally ignored, he said.
Advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady said they cannot allow the government to go ahead with the redeployment move unless action is taken to fill up teacher posts that have been vacant for years.
Manjula, a student of Government Higher Primary School, Marakada, said transferring additional teachers will have a grave impact on their studies. “The measure will do nothing but close down government schools where students like us study,” she said.
Rajesh Kottari, a member of the school development and monitoring committee of Government Higher Primary School, Kalladka, said there are 12 teachers for the 213 students in the school. Of them, a physical education teacher and the teacher looking after students from classes 1 to 3 have been identified as additional teachers. Ten teachers cannot handle 200-odd students, he said.
Activist Ashok Bhat said there was no alternative but to approach the High Court now.
Writer Aerya Lakshminarayana Alva and Students’ Federation of India activist Nitin Kuthar also spoke. They submitted a memorandum to Additional Deputy Commissioner Kumar seeking a meeting to discuss the issue.
