Sikhiya Kranti claims fall flat as 2 Phagwara govt schools grapple with severe teacher shortage

While the Punjab Government has repeatedly claimed that its initiatives are aimed at improving the quality of education in government schools, a ground-level visit to two government middle schools in the Phagwara subdivision on Teachers’ Day has highlighted a serious shortage of teaching staff.

No regular teacher

at school in Khaira

At the Government Middle School, Khaira, near Phagwara, the school was found functioning without a single regular teacher. The institution has 144 students, including 62 girls. With only two teachers deputed from another government school, the school has effectively become a “teacherless school”.

Science teacher Maninder Kaur, who was present at the school, said she and computer teacher Surjit Kaur were regular employees of Government School, Bhanoki, and had been deputed to Khaira to teach the students. She added that the school did not even have a regular peon to handle basic non-teaching duties.

Arrangements inadequate given number of students

The two teachers said the existing arrangement was inadequate given the number of students enrolled. According to the staffing norm cited by them, there should be one teacher for every 35 students. However, only two teachers were available for 144 students, placing a considerable burden on the existing staff and making subject-wise instruction difficult.

Maninder Kaur said 174 students had been enrolled at the school during the previous academic session, but around 30 had subsequently left. She said the shortage of staff had repeatedly been brought to the notice of the higher authorities through written communications, but no effective solution had been provided so far.

One-teacher school

in Sham Nagar

A similar situation was observed at another government middle school in the Sham Nagar locality of Phagwara, where 70 students were enrolled but only one regular government teacher was available.

School in-charge and science teacher Vipin Soni told The Tribune that he was the only regular teacher responsible for the 70 students. He said a teacher from the Government School, Chachoki, visited the school three days a week — Thursday, Friday and Saturday — to assist with teaching. For the remaining days, a private teacher was reportedly engaged to teach the students.

Private teacher paid by gurdwara management

According to Soni, the private teacher was being paid by the management of Gurdwara Shri Guru Ravi Dass Sabha, Shivpuri, Phagwara, rather than through the government education system. He said the arrangement had become necessary because of the shortage of government teaching staff.

No response from

higher authorities

Soni said he had repeatedly written to the higher authorities seeking adequate staff so that students could receive regular and uninterrupted instruction. He stressed that sufficient teaching staff was essential to prevent students from suffering academically because of administrative or staffing deficiencies.

Stark gap between policy claims and ground reality

The situation at the two schools highlights a stark gap between policy claims and conditions on the ground. At Khaira, two deputed teachers were catering to 144 students, while at Sham Nagar, one regular teacher was responsible for 70 students, with additional support being provided through deputation and private funding.

Such arrangements raise concerns over subject-wise teaching, classroom management, continuity of instruction and the ability of teachers to provide individual attention to students. The issue is particularly significant for children who depend entirely on government schools for their education and may have limited access to alternative educational resources.

Prolonged vacancies burden existing staff

Prolonged vacancies and dependence on deputed or privately funded teachers could place additional pressure on existing staff and affect the continuity and quality of education.

Attempts were made to obtain the response of senior education officials regarding the teacher shortage and staffing position at the two schools, but no higher official could be contacted. Consequently, the department’s response, including details of sanctioned posts, vacancies and any proposed measures to address the shortage, could not be obtained.

Situation calls for closer scrutiny by Education Dept

The situation calls for closer scrutiny by education authorities, particularly on a day dedicated to recognising the role of teachers in shaping students’ futures. Ensuring adequate and regular teaching staff in government schools remains essential if the government’s stated objective of providing quality education is to translate into meaningful outcomes inside classrooms.