BENGALURU: Government school teachers are concerned about the academic progress of students in the new academic year as education has been affected for the last one-and-a-half years due to the Covid pandemic.
Though schools are yet to open physically, teachers are working with a timetable issued by the education department since July 1 to ensure continuation of education for students through online classes. But teachers are worried as several of them are yet to be relieved from Covid duties.
“I attend my Covid duties during the day, and take up classes in the evening between 6 pm and 9 pm as per the timetable prepared by my school,” said a teacher from a government high school. She said that till now, she taught Class 10 students, who just finished their examinations, and from next week, she is expected to hold more classes for an additional number of hours for students from lower grades.
“It is our duty to ensure that students learn all subjects and do not miss out,” she said. HK Manjunath, president, Karnataka State High School Association, said there are several such cases across the State and teachers are yet to be relieved from Covid duties.
In BBMP limits, nearly 50 per cent of 9,000 teachers continue to attend to Covid duties. “Both the teachers’ association and education department officials have been demanding that they be relieved,” he added.
“Over 50 per cent of teachers’ posts are lying vacant, including one of headmistress. The existing staff have been working doubly hard as half of us are yet to join back work. We have been overburdened as admissions too are occurring at the same time,” said a government school teacher. Karnataka State Teachers-Employees Welfare Association president Basavaraj Gurikar said all teachers are expected to be relieved of Covid duties in a week.