CHENNAI: Following State-mandated protocols of accommodating only 20 students in a classroom, some city corporation schools are struggling due to lack of space and teachers.
On the first day of reopening on Wednesday, Corporation schools registered an overall attendance of 67.62% and the number is expected to increase.
However, since all Corporation schools are not equipped with the same number of teachers and classrooms, some students may fall behind.
“Some schools have space to accommodate all students while some don’t. So for now, we are focusing on students in classes 10 and 12. We ask those in classes 9 and 11 to come on alternate days in two batches depending on availability of space,” said a Corporation official.
Space constraints aside, some schools do not have enough teachers.
“Unlike some private schools, we strictly follow all government-mandated protocol. In schools like ours (Vadapalani), we don’t have issues of space and we have enough teachers in lower classes who step in and teach the higher secondary students,” said Gulam SK, state headquarters secretary of the Tamil Nadu PG Teachers Association.
“However, in schools like Kolathur higher secondary school, there are 1,600 students in classes 6-12 and only 26 teachers. They are also in need of 12 additional rooms to seat students according to protocol,” he added.
Space constraints are common in schools with a strength of over 1,000 students.
Even if the number of teachers are enough, teachers who usually teach lower classes with a Diploma in Teacher Education are now deputed to teach higher secondary students, stepping in for teachers with a Bachelor of Education (B Ed).
A Justin, district secretary of the Tamil Nadu Elementary School Teachers Federation said, “In some schools, there might be only one chemistry teacher (for example) for higher secondary students and so teachers from lower classes step in.”
Student temperatures are checked and those with fever are referred to the nearest primary healthcare centres, said corporation officials.