Exams next month, teachers on SIR duty, Surat Municipal School Board faces angry parents

The parents met the Principal, who approached Surat Municipal School Board Administrative Officer Mehul Patel to seek more teachers. Patel expressed his helplessness, telling The Indian Express: “Over 50% of the teaching staff in Surat municipal schools are now assigned to BLO activities. This has created a shortage of teaching staff.”

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule School has 582 students, from Classes 1 to 8.

Arun Patil, who lives in the neighbourhood of the school and is a textile worker, is among those who met the Principal, Kashinath Jadav. His only child, Radhika, is in Class 5. “I want her to study well and become a government official… When I complained to the Principal, he said it was government procedure, and he could not do anything. Hundreds of parents are worried about the absence of teachers. But we don’t know where to complain or whom to approach.”

Jadav, who wrote to Patel requesting for additional teachers to help address the shortage, said they were struggling to manage with only three teachers. “We have merged Classes 1, 2 and 3 and assigned one teacher to them. Similarly, other higher classes have been merged, and two teachers assigned to them.”

 Worried about completing the course before the coming exams, Jadav said: “Out of the three teachers, two are of Gujarati and Hindi subjects, who cannot teach Maths, Science and Social Studies.”

 Jadav added: “We don’t oppose BLO activities, but arrangements should be made so that at least 50% of the teaching staff are not disturbed.”

 Sources said that across the 362 schools from Classes 1 to 8 run by the Surat Municipal Board, over 2,000 teachers are employed in SIR work.

 The president of the Municipal School Teachers’ Association, Surat, Mahesh Manilal Patel, said, “We have made representations to Administrative Officer Patel, and a letter has also been sent to the state government on the issue. There are many schools in Surat with only two-three teachers currently. We have sought that the authorities ensure at least 50% staff in schools.”

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Bhupedra Patel asked Chief Secretary M K Das to check with the Election Commission of India (ECI) if other government employees – apart from teachers – can be roped in as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for SIR-related work, senior minister Jitu Vaghani said.

The move is aimed at ensuring that students’ education is not affected, Vaghani told mediapersons after the weekly Cabinet meeting chaired by the CM.

Curated For You

Assam Assembly passes anti-polygamy bill; CM Himanta Sarma says ‘not against Islam’

As Assam BJP govt tables Nellie reports, a look back at the party during the agitation

Aland ‘vote chori’ traced to an ‘OTPbazaar’, Bengal, an ‘SMSAlert’, US