With the student strength in its schools increasing by more than 20%, the Greater Chennai Corporation has appointed 453 temporary teachers. A resolution ratifying the proposal was passed at the meeting of the Corporation Council on Saturday.
This is the first time that such a large number of teachers are being appointed in Chennai Schools. The teachers will join duty on Monday and work for 10 months for a salary ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹13,000. The civic body will spend ₹5.1 crore to pay salaries to these teachers for 10 months.
According to estimates, the number of graduate teachers is 1,279 in Chennai Schools as against the requirement of 1,556 teachers. A total of 228 postgraduate teachers have been employed in the schools and 307 vacancies reported. The Corporation has asked the Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) to fill the vacancies permanently.
CPI(M) opposes move
Even as the CPI(M) councillors opposed the move to appoint teachers on a temporary basis, the Council passed the resolution claiming that the teachers were hired on a temporary basis to ensure that the education of poor students was not affected. With this, there will be at least one teacher for Science, Mathematics, Social Studies and Language in middle schools.
There will be at least one teacher for every 30 students. In schools with more than 100 students, there will be part-time instructors for art education and physical education. Once the recruitment is done by the board, the number of temporary teachers will be reduced.
Pointing to the visit of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to Chennai School the last week, Councillor Parithi Illamsurithi said the direction given by the Chief Minister to the civic body to utilise the schools to promote human dignity and for improving social and educational conditions of the weaker sections has inspired students and teachers. “The Corporation should resume moral science subject in all schools,” he said.
