Are temps enough in government schools?

It goes without saying that when schools open on June 1st, there should be teachers to teach. There are hundreds of teacher vacancies in government schools. For a long time, many classes have been conducted by temporary teachers. PSC has rank lists of teachers and there are vacancies in schools as well. However, the recruitment of teachers through PSC is not done due to the non-reporting of vacancies. Needless to say, this is due to the negligence of those in charge. The arrangement of appointing temporary employees through the back door without filling permanent vacancies has been in place since old times. It is going to repeat this academic year as well. The Department of Education had issued a circular the other day, suggesting that people from the PSC list should be the ones appointed on daily wages for vacancies in government schools.

The impropriety of appointing people on daily wages from the PSC list despite having permanent vacancies is not understood. What is the bar to grant permanent appointments to those on the rank list? Reporting the vacancies and PSC taking follow-up are things that should be done according to the procedure. Is it not because of the negligence of those in charge that government schools are permanently left without teachers? The government's order is that action will be taken against the headmasters who do not report teacher vacancies. Who is responsible for cases of non-appointment despite notifying the vacancies on time?

The government is trying to increase the study days to 220 with the aim to improve the quality of education. Opposition teachers' organizations have come forward against it. It has been decided to make Saturday's working days to add study days. Whether this reform takes place or not, it does not seem that the goal can be achieved without filling the vacant teacher posts. Children in government schools are the ones who often fall behind due to the shortage of teachers. In aided schools, not a single vacancy remains unfilled. That is because it is an arrangement where the school management gets lakhs of 'contribution'. The only trouble they have to go through is to bargain on how much bribe to take from the candidates. The salary is drawn from the public treasury. There is no shortage of regular teachers in private schools listed as public schools as well.

This is the situation not only in government schools but also in colleges. Majority of the government colleges in the state are functioning without permanent principals. Government colleges are also the ones that suffer the most from the disadvantages of in-charge administration. Although the rank list for the appointment of principals was ready, the process was stalled amid attempts to induct candidates desired by the government for these vacancies. As the war between the governor and the government continues, the two universities are left with no one at the helm. Incharge administration has been going on for some time in seven universities. The education sector should not be allowed to function like this, without proper administrators.