The Gram Panchayat Members’ Union of Vijayanagara district has written a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take appropriate action against government school teachers who are not attending school on time and not conducting classes properly during school hours.
S. Lakshman, president of the Union, who wrote the letter on September 12 said, “Teachers in government schools are not providing quality education to children. Biometric attendance system should be made mandatory for teachers in government schools.”
What is in the letter?
“Our association has inspected government schools in neighbouring districts, including Vijayanagara district, and found that teachers are not attending school on time and not working till the end of school hours. Despite the restrictions on using mobile phones during school hours by the Department of School Education and Literacy, teachers are constantly talking on mobile phones, using internet and engaging in social media during school hours and teaching time,” the Union has alleged.
Due to the negligence of teachers, children walk out of the school during the school hours, they added.
Stating that this is affecting the quality of education in government schools, the union has sought biometric attendance system for government school teachers apart from monthly tests, as well as assessing the performance of teachers on the basis of results.
The Headmaster of a Government High School in Mandya acknowledged that this is a problem elsewhere too. “It is true that many teachers are irregular to the classes and engaging in other activities instead of teaching students. The higher authorities of the department should immediately take legal action against the guilty teachers by conducting surprise visits to the schools,” he said.
Mandatory biometric attendance
Umesh G. Gangavadi, State President of School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) echoed similar opinions. “It has come to our notice that teachers in many government schools do not attend on time, and are misusing their attendance and roaming around on the pretext of office work. There are also reports in some schools that regular teachers are absenting themselves and handing over classes to guest teachers. Even though teachers are doing such unethical things, the department officials are not conducting verification and initiating action against them. Such behaviour of teachers who are betraying the children while receiving government salary is unforgivable,” he said.
“So, we have also requested the government to make biometric attendance mandatory for government school teachers. Also, we urge the Principal Secretary and Commissioner of the department to ensure that the officials regularly inspect the schools and take strict action against the guilty teachers. In addition, measures will be taken by the SDMC to compulsorily visit schools, including in rural areas.”
