Best Lawyers in Chandigarh Only the taught in 55 border schools, no staff

Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 30

Making a mockery of school education, at least 55 schools in the six border districts of Punjab do not have any teacher. While 150 primary and middle schools in the border belt have just one teacher each, in entire Punjab more than 1,000 government  schools are making do with a single teacher. 

Middle School Ram Singh Wala in Tarn Taran was closed down two-three years ago because it had no staff. Ditto for several other schools in the area. Gurpreet Singh holds temporary charge of Government Middle School, Wara Poh Vindia, Tarn Taran district. On days he is absent, children have nothing to do. Sarpanch Satpal Singh of Nawan Pind in Fatehpur says at times other teachers fill in. “But a single teacher cannot handle so many classes”, he observes. Government Middle School at Ram Singh Wala was closed three years ago owing to staff crunch. 

Village sarpanch Kulwant Kaur says children now had to go to Government High School Toot or  Government Senior Secondary School Kot Budha, both 5 km away.

Strangely, 36 schools in Punjab have not more than five students each whereas 605 teachers are deployed in 410 schools, each with pupil strength less than 20. A senior officer posted in one of the border districts says teachers with political clout invariably move out. More than 225 teachers were transferred from schools in border areas when OP Soni was Education Minister. “It was mostly newly-wed woman teachers who sought to be transferred. They did not mind giving up seniority. So we had no option but to let them go,” the officer says. A schoolhead in Fazilka was told there was no shortage of teachers “as laid down under the Right To Education Act (RTE) as the ratio stood at 1.25 lakh teachers for 25 lakh students”. It has now been made mandatory for teachers to serve at one place for at least three years, particularly in the border belt, before seeking a transfer.

Education (Schools) Secretary Krishan Kumar said once the transfer policy was implemented, “we will do do a final assessment on superfluous posts and vacancies.” Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla said the rationalisation process had already begun. “By year-end, there will be no school with a skewed teacher-student ratio, particularly in 36 schools with less than five students each. Teacher deployment in all schools is being reviewed,” he added. 

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