More teachers to be surplus8217;

VADODARA, June 2: Beginning this academic year, schools in the State will have less teachers than before, thanks to a new government reso...

VADODARA, June 2: Beginning this academic year, schools in the State will have less teachers than before, thanks to a new government resolution. With 2,800 surplus teachers in the state, the government is all set to add another 10,000 to the list of surplus teachers.

As per the resolution, every school has to submit a list of the number of teachers working in the school, along with their work load, to the government. The new resolution also says that the existing teachers would have to take more classes. Till now, every class of 70-odd students had to have one teacher on the pay rolls and another on a temporary basis.

But with the resolution, the government has made it clear that every teacher must take 41 classes every week instead of 30. Altogether 45 classes are engaged in a week for each standard.

8220;The added classes will reduce the required number of teachers in every school,8221; said a spokesperson of the Gujarat Rajya Shaikshinik Sangh Sankalan Samiti. He added that the surplus teachers at present were primarily of vocational courses, but teachers who will be rendered jobless after this resolution will include several subject teachers. He added that by issuing such a resolution the government was not only adding to its financial crunch but also adding to the number of teachers who would be employed but not going to schools. It is already paying the 2,800 surplus teachers and will have to take the burden of 10,000 more.

The spokesman said, 8220;At present there are no temporary teachers in any schools in the city, but with the resolution many teachers in the state would be affected.8221; He added that the teachers are going to be rendered surplus because the workload on only a few teachers would be increased.

He admitted that it would have an adverse effect on the teachers as there would be no revision in the pay but the work would increase.

The spokesman of the Samiti also added that without clearing the backlog of vacancies in schools, if on the contrary teachers were asked to vacate it would have affect the entire administration. He added that though the Samiti had not planned any agitation, memoranda protesting against the decision had been submitted to several ministers.