More teachers put on Covid duty, schools worry about curriculum loss
In view of the rising cases of Covid-19 in the national capital, hundreds of teachers, along with other government employees, have been asked to undertake a door-to-door survey in hot spots and vulnerable areas, as well as assist with testing and contact tracing.
With more Delhi government teachers and municipal school teachers being roped in for Covid-19 related survey work , several schools are apprehensive about the curriculum loss that the deployment may entail.
In view of the rising cases of Covid-19 in the national capital, hundreds of teachers, along with other government employees, have been asked to undertake a door-to-door survey in hot spots and vulnerable areas, as well as assist with testing and contact tracing.
For instance, in the south-west district, around 535 teachers have been deployed for the survey work. A total of 140 teachers have been on similar duties in the south district and as many as 1,000 teachers in the north-west district. The number includes primary teachers, trained graduate teachers (TGTs) and post graduate teachers (PGTs). While TGTs can teach up to class 10, PGTs are eligible to teach classes 11 and 12.
According to the teachers’ associations of both Delhi government and municipal schools, as many as 15,000 teachers of government schools and around 13,000 teachers from municipal schools are presently involved in Covid-19 related duties.
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School officials said the deployment of more teachers will affect the continuity of online classes. A PGT at a government school in Dharampura, on condition of anonymity, said he will not be able to take online classes or correct assignments while on Covid-19 duty. “We are already lagging on the syllabus -- classes have already been disrupted by the pandemic. I have to call many students daily to make sure they see the links for the study material that we send. Many of my students don’t have smartphones and so we have to call them regularly to guide them. Who will do all these in my absence?” he said.
An official at another school in the locality said they have only two TGTs for Hindi and one of them will now be engaged in the survey work. “There will only be one teacher for around 1,000 students in classes 6 to 10. How is it possible for one teacher to teach so many students?” the official said, requesting anonymity.
With schools being shut since March and classes shifted online, government institutions -- where a majority of the students do not have access to smart devices and the internet -- are dependent on worksheets or study material for virtual learning.
Similar concerns are being raised in schools run by the three civic bodies --east, north, and south. Naveen Sangwan, a teacher at Nigam Pratibha Vidyalaya in Mangolpuri, said there are 10 teachers in his school and nine are on survey duty. “This will certainly impact the classes. We don’t know yet what will be the survey timings and the area that we need to cover. So how can we reschedule online classes?” he said.
Another primary teacher in Sultanpuri, who wished not to be named, said eight of 10 teachers in school are on survey duty. “The process of new admissions will also be affected. How is it possible for two teachers to handle the enrolment process of the entire school?” the teacher said.
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Ajay Veer Singh, general secretary, Government Schools Teachers Association (GSTA), said, “The government should not think that teachers are idle when schools are shut. We are working more now than on a normal day to ensure that no student is left behind.”
Kuldeep Khatri, president Shilshak Nyay Manch Nagar Nigam, said that authorities should think twice before engaging teachers in non-teaching work. “Besides, it is like a double whammy for teachers of municipal schools -- we are working without pay for the past three months,” he said.
Jai Prakash, mayor, North civic body, said alternate arrangements are being made for students. “We should know our priorities. Presently, we have to come together to fight this pandemic. Who will study if everyone in the city gets affected? Meanwhile, we will make some arrangements for students to avoid any academic loss.”
