VELLORE: The Vellore unit of the Tamilnadu Aaramba Palli Aasiriyar Kootani (Federation of Elementary School Teachers’ Associations) has appealed to the state government to spare teachers from assigning any work (such as census, enumeration etc) other than teaching. This is one of the 130 demands the Federation has raised during a series of agitations organized by the members in the district recently, said L Mani, district secretary.
According to him, additional teachers must be posted in schools with vacancies where the teacher, student ratio had exceeds 1: 50. The state government must take steps to appoint B Ed graduates in middle schools. The 198 vacant posts of secondary grade teachers in government schools should be filled up by transferring excess teachers in aided schools.
He said that the Federation has also demanded that vocational subjects should be introduced in all middle schools under Right to Education Act. The District Elementary Education office and the Assistant Elementary Education office premises functioning at various locations in the district should be housed in an independent building with facilities to store freebies for students. The mobile science vehicles must be replaced with new ones and drivers appointed.
The state should also take steps to ensure teachers working in private nursery schools receive a minimum salary of `15,000 along with other benefits such as PF, insurance etc. Elementary and middle school buildings should be upgraded. The toilets and cleaning of the schools should be entrusted to the local bodies.