Govt is poised to bring sweeping amendments to education rules to curb arbitrary appointment of teachers. But school managements say the real motive behind the move is to freeze the appointments altogether. Express examines.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: very year, the changing enrolment figures of students in aided schools are seen by the state government with concern. Even a single student joining an aided school can have a bearing on the state exchequer. It’s not the constitutional responsibility of bearing the educational costs of the child that worries the government.
What vexes the state is the task of bearing the life-long expense of a teacher recruited by an aided school manager on the pretext of increased student strength. In bid to arrest the mounting salary bills, the government is toying with various options. Imposing a limit on student intake in aided schools is one of the options being explored to curb random appointment of teachers. “An amendment to the Kerala Education Rules (KER) is imminent. The government is seriously considering the proposal to limit the number of seats in aided schools on the lines of higher secondary schools and colleges. This will also limit the number of teaching posts as well,” said a top official in the General Education Department.
Addressing the imbalance
Currently, there is an imbalance in student intake in aided schools. While some witness a rush of students, other institutions grapple to keep the numbers intact. While teachers lose posts in some aided schools, others see managements arbitrarily appointing new teachers. Both scenarios are unfavoruable for the government. “The imbalance regarding student intake has been an issue plaguing the aided sector for the past many decades. Imposing a cap on seats in such institutions will not be done in an arbitrary fashion. The government will study the pattern of student enrolment in the institution, say for a 10-year period, and only then think about limiting seats,” said an official with the General Education Department. However, the department is also wary of the danger in implementing this radical proposal. “Imposing a cap on the number of seats in an aided school can be challenged in court. Parents and managements can object to this move on the grounds that it goes against the principles of the Right to Education Act (RTE) which gives the students the option of studying in a school of their choice,” said an officer.
The other option
The finance department has been vehemently opposed to the practice of appointing an additional teacher if the student strength increases even by one from the set limit of 30 or 35 in a classroom in LP and UP sections, respectively. “In high schools, a new teaching post can be created only if six new students join a batch of 45. The same norm should be applied in the lower primary and upper primary sections as well. But what we see here is blatant misuse of the RTE act by managements,” said a top official of the Finance Department.
The Cabinet will take a final call on the department’s proposal regarding conditions for fresh appointments to teaching posts. However, even this move can be legally challenged by managements.
They could argue that the move amounts to tinkering with the Pupil Teacher Ratio – an integral element of RTE – by the state government. In earlier instances, the stance of the managements regarding PTR have been endorsed by the court.
Govt to oversee appointments
The practice that is being followed at present is that managers appoint teachers based on increasing student strength. The appointment is then ratified by the Assistant Education Officers (AEOs) and District Educational Officers (DEOs). Finance Minister Thomas Isaac, in his budget speech, clearly expressed displeasure over the existing system. He said the government has received many complaints regarding the posts that were approved by the AEOs at the sub-district level. He added that such complaints will necessarily be examined, giving a clear indication that the government is planning to set things in order and address the shortcomings in the existing system.
The finance department is also understood to have had a major say in compelling the government to arrive at a policy decision regarding the future role of AEOs and DEOs. It is learnt that the government has decided to take away the responsibility of approving the appointments made by managers from these officers. The appointments will be approved at the top government level from now on. Necessary amendments will be made in KER to this effect, government sources said.