The Board sought high quality education likely to take severe beating as massive shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff in several schools would make it impossible to achieve the goal of superior education to students.
Nagpur News: The countdown for new academic session has begun for 2013-2014. All the educational institutes of Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board would open between June 22 and June 24, however, with great shortage of teachers and non-teaching staff in many schools. The schools are in a sort of dilemma as the Board on one hand is stressing on high quality education and on the other hand the shortage of teachers and non-teaching staff is proving a handicap for achieving the much sought high standard education. Moreover, the schools have still not received any communication regarding recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staff adding more wows to the schools.
According to sources, since the past four years no non-teaching staff has been appointed for the Class I till Class XII and since one and a half year, there is bar on appointing regular teachers in the schools. This disturbing shortcoming is stalling the teacher-related works as well as non-teaching works in massive proportions as far as schools are concerned in Maharashtra. The schools are being overburdened with educational activities like new examination patterns, new educational programmes, valuation and the other likes of activities. Moreover, the paper works have also enormously been increased regarding educational as well as other concerned aspects. The schools with shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff are finding themselves helpless in coping with completing all the activities in time.
Every year, 2-3 posts go vacant owing to either retirement or death of teaching staff and non-teaching staff. The absence of specific subject teachers forces other subject teachers to attend the classes which are not their subject matters. The teachers with History, Geography courses are being forced to teach Science subjects. Not to mention the disastrous effect the History teacher teaching Science subjects. The students take the most brunt of this “teaching” system. You need not be an expert to understand this simple fact. The teacher, already occupied with his own teaching activities, is obvious that he could not devote more time to teach another subject of not his speciality.
The peons, clerks, and Laboratory attendants play their crucial parts in all schools. Then one can understand the difficulties the schools face in the absence of these non-teaching staff. The situation has come to such a pass that several schools have only one peon and he is given the responsibility of keeping the school and other places clean. But it is beyond imagination how the single peon could maintain cleanliness of his school. The result is dirty toilets and the filthy smells gripping the school.
Some schools have appointed peons and clerks on their own thus bearing the salaries from their own pockets. Some clerks are being given the responsibility of maintaining documents of students and also schools. The clerks have to keep an eye on shortage of chemicals or apparatus in the laboratories, too apart from their other activities. They have to resolve the these problems in laboratories on their own authority. In the absence of these clerks the teachers have to look after the laboratory problems and find some solution to the nagging problems. It means, no perfect chemistry with other problems.
The schools having shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff are hoping the Government will take care of adequate staff as the new session for 2013-2014 is about to begin and the schools want no problems they faced in the previous session.
A petition on the appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff has been pending in the High Court. And unless and until a positive verdict is delivered, the schools, leave alone high-standard education to students, could teach the students in proper way to pass them would be sufficient.
