THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the general education department is going ahead with conducting Class X and Class XII examinations in March, various teachers’ organisations told TNIE that there are insufficient number of teachers for various subjects in the higher secondary section in government schools. According to the organisations, 1,526 teacher posts in the higher secondary section are lying vacant. They have urged the state government to fill the vacancies at the earliest so that the higher secondary students preparing for the examinations in another two months benefit.
The Class X and Class XII examinations are scheduled for March 17 to 30. As per the statistics accessed by TNIE, 229 posts of English teachers, 114 of Malayalam, 106 of Hindi, 37 of Arabic, 164 of Mathematics, 80 of Physics, 88 of Chemistry, 83 of Zoology, 56 of Botany, 104 of Computer Science, 146 of Commerce, 17 of Geography, 126 of Economics, 71 of Political Science, 68 of History and 37 of Communicative English are lying vacant.
O Shoukathali, general secretary, Kerala Higher Secondary Teachers Union, expressed doubt whether the students who study these subjects could get a clear guidance and revision before appearing for the examinations due to the shortage of teachers. “The state government should do the needful at the earliest. Only two months are left for the examinations.
The virtual classes have almost been completed. now, it is time for revision and exam-orientation classes. A major chunk of students are yet to attend these classes due to the shortage. If the government is not willing to fill the seats, we will stage statewide protests soon,” Shoukathali said. He also added that apart from 1,526 seats, there are rare subjects including Psychology and Philosophy which also don’t have sufficient number of teachers.
That number will come around 400. Sources said that appointment of teachers has not been made in the higher secondary section in the last one-and-ahalf years. Some teachers have alleged that the Kerala Public Service Commission is yet to report the vacancies in the section after the last rank list was published. Meanwhile, a senior officer in the general education department told TNIE that the government has already started appointing teachers for various subjects in the government schools.
However, these new teachers are yet to begin classes due to the pandemic situation, he said. “The department has begun appointing teachers by reporting the existing vacancies. All vacancies will be filled before the regular classes begin in the next academic year. Right now, the revision classes are being held with the help of teachers who are handling multiple subjects. Similarly, the government will ask the PSC to report all vacancies of teacher posts,” the officer said.