PATHANAMTHITTA: With just a fortnight remaining for the reopening of schools, a body of school headmasters has alleged that the General Education Department lacks preparedness. Despite the issuance of a circular outlining precautions to be taken before the commencement of the academic year, significant delays in key areas remain unaddressed.
While the distribution of school uniforms was ceremonially inaugurated earlier, the uniforms are yet to reach schools. Similarly, textbooks have been delivered only partially, leaving many schools ill-equipped for the upcoming term, said the Kerala Government Primary School Headmasters Association (KGPSHA).
Teachers’ shortage
“An acute shortage of teachers continues to plague government schools across the state, with hundreds of posts lying vacant,” said Biju Thomas, president of KGPSHA and the head master of Attathodu Tribal School in Pathanamthitta.
The association has also called for the immediate issuance of orders from the Director of Public Education to appoint temporary teachers on a daily wage basis. To expedite appointments, the association has stressed the need for advance public notice, including announcements in newspapers, to convene meetings with candidates. These meetings, it said, should consider the schedules of ex-officio members of the Education Standing Committee of local bodies, including their chairpersons.
However, the association warned that any further delay in issuing the orders would make it impossible to complete the appointment process before schools reopen. Notably, last year, the order for temporary teacher appointments was issued only on May 30, following widespread protests.
Midday meal funds unpaid
The association also expressed concern over the non-disbursement of funds for the midday meal scheme for February and March. It has demanded that funds be allocated in advance every month from the upcoming academic year to ensure smooth operations.
In a recent meeting, the KGPSHA State Council strongly protested the ongoing delays and called for urgent intervention. The State President presided over the session, with General Secretary E T K Ismail inaugurating the discussions. Several office bearers, including Treasurer Sheeba K Mathew and Secretaries R Sreejith and Muhammadali Chaalian, also voiced their concerns. The council reiterated its demands for immediate resolution of the delays in uniform and textbook distribution, timely allocation of mid-day meal funds and expedited teacher appointments in government schools.