COIMBATORE: The Directorate of Elementary Education (DEE) has been urged to merge the Perur and Thondamuthur educational blocks to cut down on expenses.
The demand was made by secondary grade teachers in the Perur block, citing the recent conversion of 36 out of 40 panchayat union primary and middle schools into corporation schools here.
They pointed out that DEE spends around Rs 6 lakh per month on salaries and other related expenses as the blocks are not merged.
A secondary grade teacher from Perur block told TNIE that 40 panchayat union primary and middle schools as well as 10 aided schools come within its limits.
"Except for 10 aided schools, 36 panchayat union schools were recently converted into corporation schools, leaving only four schools under the administration of the DEE. While the aided schools maintain the Service Registers (SR) of teaching and non-teaching staff, the SRs for teaching and non-teaching staff at union schools are maintained by the office of the Block Educational Officer in Perur block," she said. Consequently, the Block Educational Officer (BEO) for Perur block will henceforth inspect only the four schools regarding administrative works, she added. Another teacher told TNIE that a proposal to merge this block with the one nearby had already been done but officers had not yet been implemented. A top educational officer in the primary section told TNIE that they were awaiting approval from the DEE to merge the block.