ZPHS has been running without a single teacher

The Zilla Parishat High School at Tadkal in Kangti mandal, that has over 580 students, has been running without a single teacher! During the recent transfers, all the teachers working here opted to be transferred to other places of their choice, owing to which the Tadkal ZP High School has none left to teach. At present, a junior assistant and a record assistant run the show with the help of Vidya volunteers.

A near-similar situation stares at Mardi Zilla Parishat High School in Kalher mandal that has a student strength of 127. Currently, the school has only one teacher with as many as six teachers, including the headmaster, opting for transfer to their desired places. The school has 30 students in class 10, but not a single teacher to teach them.

Also, the Primary High School at Vaddi in Nyalakal mandal has only one teacher, while the student strength is about 200, as three of the four school assistants opted for transfers elsewhere. Running these schools with the help of Vidya volunteers has become imperative for the Education Department as recruitment of teachers through District Selection Committee (DSC) has not taken place since the formation of Telangana State despite repeated promises by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and others.

Last year, over 1,058 Vidya volunteers were appointed by the government to ensure smooth functioning of schools that faced staff shortage, but they left the job when the government announced recruitment for posts in different State departments.

The administration has not finalised the number of Vidya volunteers required in the district as many teachers who opted for transfers were yet to join duty in their designated schools. “We have taken up the exercise of identifying the needs of schools in the district as higher authorities from Hyderabad have sought information on the same. Vidya volunteers will be appointed once the proposal is cleared,” said an officer in the Education Department.

“Teacher recruitment has not taken place in Telangana since its formation, adversely impacting education in government schools. On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh took up teacher recruitment and appointment orders will soon be issued to those selected for the second DSC,” said T. Lakshma Reddy, General Secretary, United Teachers’ Federation (UTF), stating lack of commitment from the Telangana government was one of the reasons for delay in teacher recruitment. The schools that are running without teachers in the district include Nagalgidda (31), Manoor (14), Kangti (43), Narayanakhed (22), Kalher (27) and Sirgapur (27) mandals.