Akshara Avishkara aims at improving education sector with guest teachers

Kalaburagi: The Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) has embarked on a transformative educational journey in a bid to uplift the educational landscape in the region.

Under the innovative 'Akshara Mitra' scheme, the KKRDB is taking steps to address teacher vacancies by appointing guest teachers in the Kalyana Karnataka (Hyderabad Karnataka) districts.

KKRDB Chairman Dr Ajay Singh gave details about the initiative at a press conference today.

"For the first time, a scheme called 'Akshara Avishkara' is being implemented in the educationally disadvantaged Kalyana Karnataka region. Under this scheme, guest teachers will be appointed under the special designation of Akshara Mitra," he said.

Applications for the appointment of 2,618 guest teachers in seven districts will be invited through the Education Department starting Thursday.

The board's goal is to complete the teacher appointments by Sept 17, with a fallback deadline of Sept 30 if necessary. These guest teachers will undergo training in subjects such as English and computer education.

"The appointed guest teachers will serve for seven months and will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 10,000 for primary teachers and Rs 10,500 for secondary teachers, totaling Rs 18.38 crore in expenditure. The KKRDB has already granted the necessary funds, and the education department will initiate the appointment process," he said.

Remarkably, the scheme is being introduced for the first time in the state and the country within the Kalyana Karnataka region.

Chairman Ajay Singh expressed the board's commitment, stating that over the next seven months, the goal is to elevate some of the districts, which currently rank 28th in SSLC results, to a position below 15.

In the 2023-24 academic year, the Kalyana Karnataka region witnessed the presence of 1,046 single-teacher schools, with 115 schools reporting zero enrollment and 241 schools enrolling fewer than 10 students.