Bhayandar: Despite tall claims made by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) on their efforts of enhancing the education infrastructure and upgrading teaching standards in the civic–run schools at par with their private counterparts, the agony of 17 teachers assigned by the state government authorities narrate an altogether different tale.
Owing to the increasing exodus of students from government and private aided primary schools, many teachers are on the verge of losing their jobs. To resolve the issue, the state government’s education department has formulated a strategy by accommodating the surplus teachers in municipal, local self-government schools or those run by aided private or minority institutions. Subsequently, 17 teachers have been referred to join the Marathi, Hindi and Urdu medium schools run by the MBMC.
However, thanks to the apathy shown by officials attached to the education department, all these 17 teachers are running from pillar-to-post for getting themselves absorbed in the municipal schools for two months. This despite of the fact that these schools are facing an acute shortage of teachers for the past several years.
The education wing claimed that pupil and teachers rosters were being verified to decide upon the absorption process. The recently adopted ‘No work, No Pay’ principle by the education department has further added to the worries of the teachers who will not get salaries unless they are shifted to another job and assigned work.
At present around 8,500 students are enrolled with 35 MBMC-run schools which faces acute staff crunch, consequently defying Right-to-Education norms mandating a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:30 for lower primary section and 1:35 for upper primary section schools.
