Some teachers from government and aided-primary schools are keen on attending training programmes but are concerned about managing their schools when they are away.
At least three such teachers told The Hindu that they would be away from school for 20 days in a year owing to various training programmes. This led to a difficult situation as fewer teachers had to manage the school in their absence. Such a situation happened for 20 days in a year, they said.
It included three days for “Nali Kali” and one day each month for “Samalochane Sabhe”. Besides, they had to do census duty. The mention of census work evoked comments from several teachers. One of them said: “They don't let us go (away from census duty).”
Students stated they would not attend school as teachers were absent, said another teacher.
A teacher from an aided school said that the school made “alternative arrangements” when teachers were away for training. For instance, classes were combined with one teacher to manage them. “We must take these steps otherwise students get neglected and resort to other means (such as skipping school),” he said.
Moses Jayashekar, Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), Dakshina Kannada, said that half the number of teachers would be sent for training while the rest managed the school. With reference to the training for teachers in Right to Education (RTE), Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) and National Curriculum Framework (NCF), he said training took only five days. The training would be in two batches of five days each. Training for teachers for 20 days in a year was compulsory, he said.
