Ambala: Shortage of teachers and working staff in government schools remains a major problem in many states. However, this crisis became an opportunity for this peon, who undertakes teaching activities for class 9 students in Haryana.
Ironically, Kamal Singh, who recently cleared group D level exam to become a peon, remains well qualified to get a teaching job. He acquired a postgraduate degree in physics and cleared NET recently yet remained unemployed.
Other than helping the school management in administrative tasks, Singh also finds time to teach main subjects including mathematics and physics. According to Singh's colleagues, students are fond of his teaching practices and benefit from his expertise.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat, Singh said that he was recruited in January as a peon but his qualifications include MSc, MEd and NET in physics. "If the school wasn't severely understaffed, I would not have taken up teaching activities. All staffs are very cooperative and the students also respect me as a teacher," Singh said.
Besides, school principal Sarbjeet Kaur said that Singh teaches for the ninth grade and the job was given keeping in mind his educational qualifications. Singh further urged the state government to provide better opportunities to the merituos students based on their respective qualification.
Based on a data tabled by the Ministry of Human resource and development in Lok Sabha on December 5, around 18% positions of teachers in government-run primary schools and 15% in secondary schools are vacant nationwide.
The reasons for this shortage is lack of regular recruitment and many like Kamal Singh go looking for low paying jobs for which they remain overqualified.
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