Teacher body flags staff shortage over SIR duty, seeks guest teachers

The association said thousands of teachers assigned as BLOs and supervisors will be away from classrooms from July 1 to October 7, affecting studies.

The Government Schools Teacher’s Association (GSTA) wrote to Delhi education minister Ashish Sood on Tuesday, raising concerns about students’ education due to the absence of thousands of teachers from schools who have been assigned duties for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The association said teachers on election work from 10 am to 6 pm cannot take classes, leaving some schools short by up to 15 teachers. (PTI)

The association asked the government to employ guest teachers from July 1 to October 7 to fill the gap left by teachers going for the SIR exercise.

The letter, seen by HT, states, “This period coincides with the reopening of schools after the summer vacation, when regular academic activities resume. This is one of the most crucial phases of the academic session, particularly for students of classes X and XII...”

The letter also states that the education of students will be affected as many teachers are being deployed as Booth-Level Election officers (BLOs) and BLO supervisors

The GSTA requested that teachers should be employed “on a temporary basis”, so that teaching-learning activities can continue uninterrupted. This will help safeguard the academic interests of students and contribute to Delhi’s performance.

GSTA general secretary Ajay Veer Yadav told HT, “The duty for teachers assigned to the exercise is from 10 am to 6 pm. It is impossible for them to teach at school. They have to carry out these duties for three months, which means that one quarter of the academic year will be completed. In small schools, around five teachers are absent, while big schools face shortages of around 15 teachers.”

HT did not receive a response by the education department by the time of publication.