COIMBATORE: Citing shortage of teachers and rise in demand for admissions, the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has petitioned the state government to allow recruiting temporary teachers through the School Management Committee (SMC).
Temporary teachers are appointed through the school management committee. But corporation schools cannot do this and teachers are recruited by the school education department. With recruitment not happening, the number of teacher vacancies in corporation-run schools has increased.
CCMC commissioner M Prathap said, “Seventy second-grade teachers posts are vacant and there are vacancies in other categories as well. We have sought permission from the government to fill the posts with temporary teachers through the same method followed by other schools.” Salary for temporary teachers will be paid from the school education fund of the CCMC, he added.
Further, Prathap said there is huge demand for admissions this year. Admissions are under way and students will be joining the schools till August. “There are many schools where the number of classrooms is inadequate to meet the demand. Additional classrooms were constructed in such schools by making use of school education funds,” he said.
The Oppanakara Street girls’ higher secondary school and the middle school in Masakalipalayam are some of the few corporation schools where the demand for admission is quite high. “We’ve been getting recommendation letters from many VIPs seeking admission in corporation schools as the standards of education are far better here when compared to other schools,” Prathap added. He added that the free breakfast scheme is also a huge factor for the rise in demand for admissions.