As Punjab promotes teachers with no expertise in subjects; question mark over ‘flawed’ rules

The situation is no different for subjects having their own master cadre.

Of 381 teachers promoted as Punjabi lecturers, more than half (194) are from other subjects, including 124 of social studies, and majority of them never pursued Punjabi as elective subject in their graduation, nor opted for “Teaching in Punjabi” during their B.Ed, a prerequisite for hiring as Punjabi master to teach class 6 to 10.

In English, of 301 promotions, 298 are of teachers who come from non-English background. They include 102 social science teachers who had been teaching English to fill the gap as, till 2007, the state had no separate cadre to hire specialized English teachers. Like in Punjabi, most did not pursue English as an elective subject in graduation, nor as teaching subject in B.Ed but have been promoted after pursuing Masters in English via distance learning. Only three qualified English teachers have been promoted in their own subject.

Incidentally, all these promotions are as per the rules.

The anomaly, however, has sparked a debate with teachers who have done both graduation and PG in their own subject demanding that at least a basic exam should be conducted before promoting teachers from other subjects as lecturers, especially in languages.

Harpinder Singh Dhillon, state president, Association of English Teaching Aspirants, Punjab, says: “For teachers from other subjects, who have no skill or training to teach the language, there should be a proficiency test. How can a teacher be allowed to teach class 11 and 12 when they haven’t even studied that subject in graduation. Allowing teachers, who haven’t even done BCom, to teach commerce is a gross blunder”.

‘Flawed rules for promotion’

According to the teachers who have been denied promotions in their own subjects, the problem lies with Punjab education department’s rules, which have not been rectified by successive governments.

The Punjab Educational Service Rules Group B (amended in 2018) allows inter-subject promotions on the basis of seniority. A master cadre teacher can seek promotion as lecturer in any subject by obtaining a postgraduate degree in that subject, including via distance learning mode. Graduation and teaching experience in that particular subject (in which promotion is sought) aren’t counted. The rules do not even specify any minimum pass percentage which a teacher must score in post graduation to be promoted as a lecturer. The teacher seeking promotion isn’t even required to have that particular subject in B.Ed, a basic qualification for teaching.

For instance for English, the rulebook says that “any master/mistress who have passed MA in English and B.Ed from a recognized university or institution” and has “teaching experience for a minimum period of five years” can be promoted as a lecturer from master cadre. These teachers can be from any subject and do not need to score any minimum pass percentage in PG. This rule applies for all other subjects including Punjabi, Hindi, history, mathematics, economics, political science etc.

According to the teachers, the promotion rule contradicts the rule for direct recruitment.

The rules for direct recruitment as English master/mistress (class 6 to 10), for instance, one must “have passed graduation at least with 55% marks and should have studied English as an elective subject for graduation” and “should have passed B.Ed with English as one of the teaching subjects.” Similarly for direct recruitment as English lecturer, one should clear MA in English with 55% marks, B.Ed with English as teaching subject and study the language as elective subject for three years in graduation. However, none of these conditions apply for teachers who are promoted as English lecturers from other subjects. The rules are the same across all subjects.

“It implies that a teacher who isn’t qualified to teach a subject to class 6 if recruited directly, can now teach class 11 and 12 by obtaining a degree via distance learning mode. The experience and qualification of the teacher who has invested years in that subject doesn’t count for promotion. We feel cheated when a maths teacher is promoted as a Punjabi lecturer. How can students benefit from such teachers,” asked a Punjabi lecturer.

An English teacher said that they have stopped raising their voice against the rules as no government ever tried to rectify them. “Just to get a promotion, maths and science teachers are getting masters degrees in languages while teachers who are postgraduate in their own field are being ignored. Several times in the past, the English teachers objected to inter-subject promotions but no government has ever taken English or Punjabi teaching seriously, but to no avail”.

A Punjabi lecturer said that promotion rules for lecturers needed immediate correction. “Firstly, the subject of graduation and B.Ed teaching subject must be considered. As of now, a teacher who himself did not study a subject beyond class-12, is being promoted to teach the same to students in class 12. This is a joke. Science graduates are pursuing masters in languages to get promotion. No one knows from which universities these distance mode degrees are being secured and how”.

“Ideally, to get promotion in his/her own subject, a teacher should get minimum 50% marks in PG and B.Ed teaching subject. Some years back, the government mulled over stopping inter-subject promotions and taking basic tests for language teachers but it met with backlash from teachers whose promotions were due,” said a chemistry teacher.

Another English teacher said: “Despite being a regular PG from Punjabi University, Patiala, my promotion was delayed due to teachers from other subjects who did distance mode PG from universities in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, which were later declared unrecognized. Former Punjab education secretary Krishan Kumar had tried to stop such promotions but the matter reached the court.”

The recent promotion orders issued by Punjab education department, however, clarify that only those teachers who did their PG via distance learning before June 27, 2013 ( the day UGC had notified its policy on territorial jurisdiction to be followed by all Universities/Institutions including Open and Distance Learning Institutions) have been given promotions.

No study leave being granted: Science teachers

Science teachers who have been promoted in other subjects, while clarifying their stand, in a press statement said that they had to pursue post graduation in languages/other subjects as no university in Punjab offers PG in sciences via distance learning or correspondence, and the education department wasn’t allowing them “study leave”.

“The department is not offering study leave to teachers for pursuing regular PG courses so there is no option left with us but to for PG in other subjects. We have been promoted as per rules after getting distance learning degrees from recognized universities,” said Harinder Kaur, state president, Science Teachers’ Association, Punjab.

Paramjit Singh, director school education (secondary), Punjab, said: “According to the rules, teachers have to pursue post graduation from a recognized university. Only those who have fulfilled the criteria have been promoted.”

Harpreet Dua, member senate, Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, said: “Just for sake of promotion, a teacher should not leave their own subject. It sets a wrong precedent. The teachers should be given preference in their own subject”.

Dr Paramjit Kaur, former principal, BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana and coordinator, National Testing Agency (NTA), said that in private schools, according to CBSE by-laws, “a teacher who is a graduate and PG in the same subject has to be appointed to teach class 11 and 12; in case of teachers having degrees in two subjects, the one who has both UG and PG in same subject is given preference”.

A total of 2557 teachers have been promoted as lecturers recently including 381 in Punjabi, 301 in English, 350 in history, 277 in commerce among others.

How the rule differs for newly recruited and promoted teachers (Taking English as an example)

-Direct recruitment as master/mistress (class 6 to 10): Graduation with at least 55 per cent marks with English as Elective subject for three years, B.Ed with English as teaching subject

-Direct recruitment as lecturer: MA English with least 55% marks, B.Ed with English as teaching subject and English Elective in graduation

-Promotion as lecturer: MA English and B.Ed from any recognized university and minimum five years of teaching experience

(For promotion, no minimum marks requirement in MA, no bar on teachers from other subjects, teachers who did not study Elective English in graduation also eligible, English as teaching subject also not required in B.Ed)

Source: The Punjab Educational Service Rules Group B (amended in 2018)