Haryana: Transfers done, but 'schools still face teacher shortage', parents want to pull out children

GURUGRAM: At Garhi Bazidpur Government High School in Sohna, some parents want to pull out their children from the institute that has only two teachers for 105 students.
They had hoped that the state government's recently introduced transfer policy may improve this ratio - 1 teacher for 52 students - but it only worsened the situation. Classes, already hit in over two years of the pandemic, have been in disarray since the policy was implemented in August.
So far, the headmistress - recently shifted to the school under the policy - is doubling up as a third teacher to help her colleagues. The school is supposed to have eight teachers under its payroll, but has two in all, even after the transfers.
On some days, the classes are clubbed. And on the other, only students who have to appear for Board exams in the academic year are taught.
The learning gap, which had widened after Covid struck, is only worsening, the students, teachers and parents say.
"My father is very upset with the school and wants to pull me out of it. Other people in our village are also planning to drop out of this school and seek admission elsewhere. We were hoping that a few good schools in our area would be part of the state's CHEERAG scheme for EWS students and we can enroll there for free, but that too is unlikely. We have not learnt anything for over a month. We also don't have a teacher for mathematics, and we are becoming weaker in that subject," said 13-year-old Nitin Kumar, a Class 7 student at the school.
Teachers said the online transfers, which was part of the state's school rationalization policy, have not helped matters. "I was recently transferred here. Parents are approaching me and demanding that their wards be relieved as they are unhappy with the absence of teachers in the school. I have called a meeting of the School Management Committee and the Sarpanch of the village. I'll also take up the matter with the department and seek their directions to address the issue," said Neeta Gupta, the school's headmistress who is also taking classes to cover up the syllabus.
There is the possibility of getting guest teachers, but the school doesn't yet know if they will. The state education department, which had on Tuesday finalised the transfer of the 8,000 guest teachers, has said that irregularities in the online transfers will be fixed soon. But teachers and educators said the exercise was mismanaged.
"The transfer drive is merely a bureaucratic exercise that is being projected as something which will fix the issue of shortage of teachers. No matter what combination they try to figure out, there are no alternatives for educators," said Satyanarayan Yadav, the district president of Haryana Vidyalaya Adhyapak Sangh.
The education department has maintained that the transfers are meant to standardise the student-teacher ratio in the state.
"We are working towards fixing the issue of teacher shortage and the rationalisation of schools is a step towards it. The CM has already assured people that about 11,000 new teachers will be recruited soon. We are very well on track," said a senior education department official.
Asked about the disruption in classes, the official added, "This is an exaggeration. The drive did not require teachers to shun their classes."