Hindi teachers take English, maths classes at rural schools

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 24

In government schools in rural areas of this region, one can see a Hindi teacher teaching subjects like English and science or physical training instructor (PTI) and art & craft teacher taking mathematics classes.

This is a common practice at several schools, revealed a report compiled by the School Education Department here.

In Faridkot, Muktsar and Bathinda districts, the department has identified 234 teachers of government schools teaching subjects they are not qualified for.

Mohit Jain, a Hindi teacher at Government Senior Secondary School in Dabri Khana village of Faridkot, has been teaching mathematics for the past several months. Gurwinder Kaur, a Punjabi teacher in Jandwala village, takes science and maths classes. Davinder Kumar and Indu Sharma, Hindi teachers at Government Senior Secondary School, Sher Singh Wala, teach English to Class XII students.

Evaluating the reasons for a huge dip in the pass percentage in the Classes XII and X exams conducted by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) this time, the department has found that at the government school in Katianwali village of Muktsar, PTI, Art & Craft and Punjabi teachers are teaching science, maths and English for want of teachers of these subjects.

Besides, over 100 social studies teachers are teaching English at government schools in Bathinda, Faridkot and Muktsar, a large number of Punjabi and Hindi teachers are taking classes of science, math and English subjects, revealed the report.

The details of teachers teaching subjects they are not qualified to teach had been collected on the directions of the Director Education Department (senior secondary), said Devinder Rajoria, District Education Officer, Faridkot.

The reason for the state of affairs at schools in rural areas is attributed to the fact that many science, mathematics and English teachers prefer institutions in urban areas. This has upset the equation of teaching in schools in several villages.

According to sources in the department, even after promotion and direct appointment of teachers, a large number of science and math teachers’ posts were vacant in rural areas, particularly in subjects like maths, English and science.