CHENNAI: After repeated complaints of teachers ‘bunking’ schools in government, elementary and middle schools, the State Education Department has set up two-member district-level teams in all education districts across the State to monitor schools to stem this worrying trend.
“Every team will comprise one Block Resource Teacher (BRT) who has been assigned the task of physically verifying teachers’ attendance in schools and an Assistant Elementary Education Officer (AEEO) to supervise these inspections,” the official told Express while requesting anonymity.
Some of the complaints lodged with the higher officials in the department reveal how teachers, mostly in rural areas, arrive in schools in the morning to mark attendance and vanish a little later to pursue agricultural-related work or micro-businesses, which they run in parallel, while drawing their salaries as government school teachers.
“Some teachers are functionaries in district or State-level teachers’ associations. They justify their absence in schools citing union-related work to ensure welfare of teachers, which they claim as being equally important,” one of the complainants told Express.
Officials have been mandated to inspect at least 10 schools in the district each day.
Knowing the trend that most teachers vanish after spending a few morning hours in the schools, the official will have to carry out the check in the post-lunch and school-ending hours also.
If teachers are found to be absent without prior permission during the surprise inspections, departmental action will be initiated against the particular teachers under the direct supervision of the Director of Elementary Education in Chennai.
With the upcoming Assembly elections, official sources said inspections will begin after the polls.
These surprise inspections will be carried out in addition to the routine inspection process carried out by the respective district elementary education officers.