Pvt schools hail pitch to increase school hours

“I support and welcome it (fixing work hours for teachers). But it is a bad idea for pre-school or nursery teachers,” said S K Bhattacharya,president of the action committee that represents 1,900 unaided private schools in the Capital.

Educationists,though,want it clarified whether teachers will be compensated for the extra hours they put in — the provision would extend school hours from six hours to seven-and-a-half hours every day. At present the minimum hours are set at 36 hours per week.

While some say the Bill’s spirit is in the right place,others worry about implementation issues,and wonder who would compensate teachers for the extra hours. The government and schools are already at loggerheads over private schools’ demand for a flat 50-per cent fee hike to implement the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations for increasing teachers’ salaries.

Bhattacharya said that under the Sixth Pay Commission,teachers will command attractive pay packages and there is as such no need for extra compensation. Even in the Delhi Education Act,teachers are required to put in 100 hours on top of the minimum working hours for remedial classes,he said.

“The starting salary for primary school teachers will be Rs. 23,000,which is pretty good,” he said.

But some feel there will be some resistance from teachers,who will now be required to put in around 10 more hours of work every week.

The Bill provides for free and compulsory elementary education for children between six and 14 years; it is due for debate in Parliament in April. There was no provision of “preparation hours” till date.

Amol Arora,director of Shemrock group of schools,said,“The compensation part has to be clarified. The Bill is radical but these issues need to be ironed out.”

He hailed the proposal as a “novel step” that will allow schools to implement many innovative ways of teaching and might curb the need for students to take private tuitions. But Arora added that schools must brace for resistance from teachers’ unions and,in some cases,parents as well.

The opposition
S S Malik,general secretary of the All India Kendriya Vidyalaya Teachers’ Association,criticised the proposed rise in work hours for teachers. “We will protest it: 45 hours in a week is a lot. There has to be a limit,” he said. “Students will also get bored (with more hours at school) and might get depressed.”

Many parents have also raised concerns that schools squeeze in too much in a day to cover the curriculum. As a result,they say,students are often forced to take private tuitions. There is also a concern that homework load will increase.

The Bill also says the minimum number of working days,or “instructional hours”,in an academic year would be 200 working days for classes I to V and 220 for classes VI to VIII. These extra days could be used for examinations,sports events and other school-related activities,Bhattacharya,member of the private school committee said.

“Children will get more attention and with so many days at hand,teachers would not be rushed to cover the syllabus,” Bhattacharya said. “It will help us compete internationally.” The only catch,he said,is whether the schools have adequate infrastructure in place to better utilise the opportunity,and that the government should look into that issue. Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely could not be contacted for comments.

What the Bill proposes
* 45-hour schooling in a week (36 hrs at present)
* Extend school hours from 6 to 7.5
* Extra “preparation hours” (no such concept at present)
* Minimum 200 working days in a year for classes I to V
* Minimum 220 days of schooling for classes VI to VIII

What opponents protest
* 45 hours every week is too much
* Teachers would get bored,students lose interest
* Homework load would go up