Student-teacher ratio lowered to 25:1 to adjust 9,455 teachers

Deepender Deswal

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Hisar, July 10

The new rationalisation policy of the Elementary Education Department has lowered the student-teacher ratio by one teacher for every 25 students (25:1) from the existing 30:1 in the government schools. The policy released today also redistributed the posts for all districts which necessitates transfers in next few weeks.

Sources in the Education Department said that the government had to carry out rationalisation in view of the appointment of 9,455 JBT teachers on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court who were awaiting posting for nearly three years. “The new joining will lead to excess strength of teachers. Thus, the department lowered the existing student-teacher ratio to distribute the workload,” said the sources.

Now, the state has 38,054 JBT teachers and 2,380 head teachers against the students’ strength of over 10 lakh in the government schools. In the redistribution of teachers, Mewat has been given the highest number of posts of 2,948 JBT and 294 head teachers. While Jhajjar district would have the lowest number of posts with 972 JBT and 28 head teachers.

In a letter, the Director of the Elementary Education, Panchkula, stated that there would be two JBT teachers for each 50 students and this ratio would go on. A head teacher along with five teachers would be deployed in a school having strength of 126-150 students.

Earlier, four teachers were deployed for every 120 students, while the head teacher was posted over 161 students. Teachers said that it was good for the students as well as teachers as the teachers would be able to keep track of performance of the students in a better way.

Vazir Singh, a member of the Haryana School Teachers’ Association, said that it had been their demand to bring down the student-teacher ratio to improve the standard of education in the government schools. “We have also demanded to cut down the number of periods per teacher in the secondary and higher secondary classes as well,” he said.

“Unfortunately, despite having infrastructure and adequate number of teachers, the standard of education in the government primary schools is well below the satisfactory level,” said a parent.