Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam’s budget announcement that 100 high schools would be upgraded as higher secondary schools and 100 middle schools would be upgraded as high schools has not excited educationists.
“What is the point when the government has not filled vacancies for the posts of either headmasters or teachers,” asked S. Karupiah, general secretary of Dalit Liberation Movement-TN.
When the next academic year begins, nearly 10% of government-run higher secondary and high schools will be without headmasters. The number of teaching vacancies is expected to soar as more teachers retire by June.
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In response to Mr. Karupiah’s recent RTI query, the School Education Department replied that currently, 918 government higher secondary and high schools had no head teachers. By May, another 425 head teachers are expected to retire, bringing the total vacancies to around 1,500.
Though the Teachers Recruitment Board conducted the Teacher Eligibility Test, postings have not been given. Not only were there litigations but the lack of a permanent official in the Board also hindered appointments. The associations want the government to improve infrastructure before demanding 100% results.
At present, those recruited for lower classes are teaching high school students. We need trained teachers,” said P.K. Ilamaran, State president, Tamil Nadu Teachers Association.
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K. Thirumal, president of the Postgraduate Teachers’ Association, added, “Teachers should be posted at the start of the academic year instead of just before the exams. What is the point in asking for results when there is no infrastructure?”
Hundreds of teacher vacancies exist in every subject, affecting students’ performance in public exams.
Student-teacher ratio
“How does the government expect students to do well in the Class XI public exams? The student-teacher ratio in high schools should be 1:40 and in higher secondary schools, it should be 1:60. The government should allot more funds in the budget,” said K.P.O. Suresh, who heads the PG Teachers’ Association in the State.
The budget allocation this year for school education is ₹27,205.88 crore. Last year it was ₹26,000 crore.
Where there are not enough teachers, students make do with peer support, said Samakalvi Iyakkam’s general secretary Chella Chellakumar. “During our visit to some high schools in Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai, children said they studied on their own as there was no math teacher in their school. In some places, graduates taught students outside school hours,” he said.