Amritsar students suffer due to shortage of teachers

Tribune News Service

Neha Saini

Amritsar, February 19

While the state government has been vocal about its efforts to upgrade and improve infrastructure in government schools across the state, ground realities show an acute shortage of teachers, not just in primary but also senior secondary schools. With a strength of approximately 450 students, from Class VI to XII, Government Senior Secondary school, Jabbowal, has been facing a shortage of teachers for years, especially for Class IX-XII.

The school, which falls under the Tarsikka block of the district, runs traditional medical/non-medical/humanities/ commerce subjects in addition to four vocational courses for senior secondary classes. “Of the 11 posts of lecturers for Class XI and XII, eight posts remain vacant for the past five years. Similarly, out of six posts for vocational teachers, four remain vacant, with only two teachers for Class XI and XII, which see maximum number of students in vocational courses,” shares Jermanjit Singh, a physics teacher at GSSS, Jabbowal. The master cadre teachers in school for Class VI to X also remain short. The school runs four vocational courses in horticulture, agriculture, beauty and wellness.

The school has also seen a drop in number of students opting for science streams. It had also not received any funds for the last 12 years for setting up a proper practical lab. “The schools, especially in rural belts like ours, do not have enough staff strength for science and maths and vocational courses. Students’ enrolments will only happen if there are enough teachers to teach,” adds Jermanjit.

“The enrolment increased in the past four years, especially during and after the pandemic period, as most nearby private schools shut down. Parents, who were not financially well, preferred government schools to private ones for their wards,” said Jermanjit. Currently, it has 450 students, but number of students in middle classes i.e. Class VI-VIII, has seen a drop with just around 90-100 students in three classes.

“The core of a school is the academics and that can only be improved with teachers, libraries and labs,” shares a vocational teacher of the school.

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