Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar said that all vacancies in government schools will be filled once the Hyderabad-Karnataka roster system is finalised.
He told reporters at the Inspection Bungalow on Sunday that as many as 16,000 vacancies existed in schools all over the state. “Orders have been issued to appoint 12,000 guest teachers, besides getting official concurrence from the Finance Department to recruit 4,000 teachers,” he added.
On teachers retiring in the middle of an academic year, he said they will be asked to continue till the end of March (academic year) so that classes are not affected.
Regarding the large number of vacancies in schools falling in naxal-affected areas, he said that there is a provision for appointing teachers on contract basis under the naxal package of the government. If concrete complaints are received on the tuition menace in government PU colleges, action will be initiated, he said.
Ratnakar said that Kannada medium will be made compulsory from the first standard from the next academic year, but English will be taught as a language from the first standard.
He blamed the delay in supply of text books and uniforms on the previous BJP regime saying that the books were printed only in March 2013, instead of October 2012. Files in this regard are pending before the Ministry for the last five years, he added.
‘No Plans to Scrap BJP Schemes’
The minister said that the Congress government has no plans to scrap any schemes introduced by the previous BJP government and steps will be taken to strengthen them.
Ratnakar said that the government was committed to providing basic facilities in government schools.
Presiding over a progress review meeting at the Zilla Panchayat mini-hall on Sunday, he said that class rooms, toilets and drinking water were of utmost necessity. He directed the officials to give a comprehensive report on the current status of facilities in government schools.
“Do not depend on others for supply of drinking water to schools,” he told the officials. MLC Gayatri Shanthe Gowda appealed for renovation of school buildings and to expedite the process of teacher recruitment.