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Staff crunch: With teachers on examination duty, class monitors run the show at Ludhiana’s govt schools
With maximum teachers deputed for examination duty amid the ongoing Punjab School Education board exams; some government schools in Ludhiana have appointed students as class monitors and asked them to take over teaching duty of junior classes
The exam season has once again brought the severe staff crunch at government schools in Ludhiana district to the fore. With maximum teachers deputed for examination duty amid the ongoing Punjab School Education board exams; some government schools have appointed students as class monitors and asked them to take over teaching duty of junior classes.
The revelation comes just three days after chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced that sweeping changes will be made to government educational institutions in Punjab during an interaction with around 2,500 school principals of the state which was held in Ludhiana.
During a visit to Government High School in Giaspura, which has around 2,500 students between Classes 6 and 10, children were seen roaming outside their classrooms in the absence of teachers. In a few classes, students who have been appointed class monitors were seen struggling to control the jampacked classrooms, while carrying out teaching duty.
As per the Right to Education Act, a school can accommodate 30-35 students per class, whereas around 100 students were seen sitting in a classroom at Government High School in Giaspura.
Similar scenes were witnessed at Government Primary School in Giaspura, where over 4,000 students are enrolled, thus violating the teacher-pupil ratio permitted under RTE. The students in both these schools were seen sitting on the floor of the noisy classrooms. Covid guidelines were also blatantly violated as three students were seen sharing a single bench.
A teacher of Government Primary School, Giaspura, on the condition of anonymity, said, “We have been asked not to deny admissions to anyone, but we don’t have ample classrooms to accommodate all the students and thus we are forced to make them sit on the floor.”
She added that despite the severe space crunch, local leaders and MLAs pressurise them into taking in all students who seek admission.
“The education department needs to decide the limit for the admissions as teachers eventually have to bear all the pressure of overcrowded classrooms. There is an acute shortage of teachers, but classes are flooded with students,” the teachers stated.
Similarly, at Giaspura Government High School, only 32 of the 50 sanctioned posts of teachers have been filled. If the provisions of the RTE Act been followed, the school would need around 75 teachers.
Out of these 32, less than 10 teachers were present at the school on Friday due to examination duties, leading to absolute chaos. A teacher said that since there are no teachers to teach, students visit the school only for mid-day meal.
An education official on condition of anonymity said that to avail funds from the Union government, schools have been asked by the state education department to increase enrolment and not deny admission to anyone .
District education officer Jaswinder Kaur chose not to comment on the issue, despite messages and calls.
