Telangana teachers worried staff shortage would hamper classes from Class IX

Hyderabad: Even as the Telangana State Teachers United Federation (TSTUF), a government teachers body, has welcomed the decision to reopen schools for in-person classes from Class 9, it has raised major concerns.

There is a major dearth of teaching staff in government schools, especially with the blended form of learning — that includes online and in-school classes — to be put in place from February 1.

There could be a crisis in school premises where, in order to follow physical distancing guidelines, students from one class will have to be split up into different sections, said Chava Ravi, general secretary, TSTUF.

"There are at least 7,000 vacancies in 5,000 high schools for subject teachers. We have tried reaching out to the government to fill the vacancies, without which it will be a Herculean task to hold classes, especially in schools where only one or two teachers are present. However, there has been no response to our demands,” he said.

Another issue is that of regular sanitisation of schools. Even as the government has directed local bodies and gram panchayats in each district to undertake sanitisation of schools, the TSTUF is demanding that service persons be appointed to each school to examine the cleanliness and hygiene, as has been the case in the past four years.

Meanwhile, district education officers as well as headmasters have been asked to provide a detailed set of standard operating procedures to the government, with logistical, seating and medical plans by January 18.