Karnataka teachers voice concern on returning to schools

BENGALURU/HUBBALLI/ MYSURU: The Karnataka Government Rural Primary School Teachers’ Association has urged education officials to reconsider the decision to call staff back to campuses, citing concerns over coronavirus and transport availability.
Teachers of government schools have been asked to report for work from June 8. The association’s president, Ashok Sajjan, said the commissioner of public instruction had directed teachers to return to schools and start preparations for restarting classes on the campus.
“Teachers have already done this preparatory work. Many reside in districts away from their workplaces, and currently don’t have access to proper transport facilities,” Sajjan said. “Travelling long distances may expose teachers to infection risks. This is particularly worrying for female staffers who travel with their kids aged below 5.” He also urged education officials to start training for online classes.
Decision on online education
Minister of primary and secondary education S Suresh Kumar is expected to decide on Monday whether online teaching should continue. According to an official, Kumar will discuss the matter with subject experts and take a call based on their suggestions.
“Whatever is deemed best for the children will be done. For students of 48,000 government schools, the state is exploring alternative methods like lessons on Doordarshan, and not necessarily online classes,” said the official, adding that private schools may take a cue from the government’s strategy. There are about 15,000 private schools in Karnataka.
RTE admissions to begin soon
The department of public instruction (DPI) will start the admission process under the Right to Education (RTE) Act next week. The law requires private schools to set aside 25 per cent of the seats for students from poor sections of society.
The process was initiated in March, but was deferred because of the pandemic. Mysuru deputy director of public instruction Panduranga said on Saturday that it would be restarted on June 8. A trial run will be held on June 8-9, and parents will be able to apply for the free seats from June 10. The last date for applications is June 24. The first round of seat allotment will be held on July 13.
The norms for allotting free seats in private unaided schools under the Act are the same as last year. Children from wards where there are no government or aided schools will be accommodated at private institutes, officials said.
Like last year, only a handful of private unaided schools have been listed for free admissions this time. For instance, 28 Kannadamedium and 15 Englishmedium schools in Mysuru North block have been listed for admissions.
According to DPI officials, 963 seats are available in Mysuru district.
Parents are not happy with the list. In Mysuru Rural block, most of the elite schools have been excluded. “Despite rules, many poor students still cannot study in private schools,” said Ramesh SN, a resident of K Hemmanahalli.
Nagasimha G Rao of RTE Task Force shared a similar view. “Last year, the Karnataka government modified the admission criteria, which are now in the court of law. The government should have ordered RTE free seats in all private schools to create a level playing field,” he said.