Mission Samarth leaves syllabus backlog, teachers in panic mode
After the conclusion of Mission Samrath for classes 5 to 8 in the government schools, the department has distributed the regular syllabus of these classes for the months of April, May and July, to be completed by the teachers within the remaining months of the academic year.
After the conclusion of Mission Samrath for classes 5 to 8 in the government schools, the department has distributed the regular syllabus of these classes for the months of April, May and July, to be completed by the teachers within the remaining months of the academic year. This backlog seems to be adding to teachers’ distress in the schools that are already facing staff crunch.
In an effort to enhance educational leadership and effectiveness in schools across the state, 2.0 version of Mission Samarth started in the month of April, but due to early holidays announced by the state government in the wake of heatwave this season, the schedule got affected, which is why Mission Samrath was extended by a month and would continue for classes 3 and 4 and partially for class 5 till August 31.
For the remaining classes, regular syllabus would be taught from August 1. There are more than 100 schools in the district where a single teacher has been teaching all the subjects to the students of different classes. A teacher, who has been managing the primary school single handedly for the past 6 years said, “There are more than 50 students from class LKG to 5 and I have grouped them to manage these classes. I only have one mid-day meal worker. It already is extremely difficult to manage, I do not know how I would be able to cover the syllabus of the past three months along with a regular one, for all the classes.”
State finance secretary and district lecturer cadre union president Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon said that the teachers are panicking, especially in the schools where there are few or no lecturers and the master cadre teachers must play the role of lecturers too. “This is overburdening the already burdened,” he added.
Democratic teachers front (DTF) district president Daljit Singh said, “We have been opposing this mission since day one as it has only created problems for the educators. A teacher very well knows how to cater to every child, a separate mission for the same was not required.”
Commenting on the staff crunch, deputy district education officer (elementary) Manoj Kumar remarked, “Soon more teachers will be recruited in the schools as the transfer portal has also become operational since Thursday, so we might see the issues of single teachers being resolved.”