Hyderabad: Teachers slam new leave rules
The association members will protest against the new norm by wearing black badges on January 19 and January 20.
Hyderabad: Teachers in government primary schools should forward their leave applications through the complex schools headmasters to the Mandal Education Officers (MEOs). The education department issued the instructions as it observed irregularities by some teachers.
As per the current rules, teachers should submit the application to the school headmaster who should forward it the MEO.
Teachers’ associations in Telangana condemned the instructions by the education department. The association members will protest against the new norm by wearing black badges on January 19 and January 20.Mr Narendra Swamy, a government school teacher, said, “The circular is putting pressure on primary teachers. We demand cancellation of the circular 83.”
Mr N. Narayana, national president of the, School Teachers’ Federation of India, said, “The loss of instructional hours in primary and upper primary schools is an established fact due to staff crunch. As per the TS educational statistics 2016-17, there are 16,968 primary and 3,127 upper primary schools. All of them face shortage of staff. Moreover, 9,400 schools have only single teacher.”
Regarding the latest circular, he said, “It creates duplication of the process. Complex schools headmasters are not superiors to the primary and upper primary teachers. Besides, complex school headmasters cannot make any kind of alternative arrangement.”
Mr M. Ravinder, president of the TS Progressive Teachers’ Federation, said, “The department has a wrong notion that primary teachers are not making use of the school hours properly. The current leave rules will make the leave process more complicated.”