Skewed teacher-student ratio: In Telangana, headmasters attend empty schools

On January 27, the nine pupils were transferred to nearby Nedunur High School. The headmaster, however, continued to stay at his original school along with his attendant.

Karimnagar (Telangana): The teacher-student ratio in several schools in Telangana's Karimnagar is completely skewed. In a school in Vachunur village of the district, only nine students were enrolled from sixth to tenth grades. The school had five teachers and a headmaster.

However, as a part of the new district-wise allotment order, the teachers were transferred to other districts but no new teachers were appointed as a replacement for the Vachunur school. On January 27, the nine pupils were transferred to nearby Nedunur High School. The headmaster, however, continued to stay at his original school along with his attendant.

In a similar incident at Tekurti in Karimnagar’s Illandukunta, not a single student was enrolled during the 2020-21 academic year. However, the headmaster and a Hindi teacher were officially working at the school until recently when the lone teacher was sent on deputation to another school. Here too, it is just the headmaster now attending an empty school.

The skewed transfer and posting of teachers by the state school education department has received a lot of criticism. At least 11 government high schools in the state have zero-student enrolment. There are 194 model schools and 475 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) across the state.

After the formation of Telangana, the number of KGBVs and Gurukuls has been increased. As a result, Zilla Parishad High Schools in areas where KGBVs or Gurukuls are located, have witnessed nominal student enrolment. There are 427 schools where fewer than 50 students are enrolled for all five classes combined. The smaller number of admissions is attributed to the presence of KGBVs and Gurukuls in the areas.

As per the norms, students in schools with less than the minimum number of admissions must be enrolled in other nearby schools and the teaching staff should also be transferred.