As Maharashtra teachers juggle SIR, census duties, students' suffer
What's the story
Teachers in Maharashtra have expressed frustration with the non-academic duties they have to perform, which they say are affecting their teaching and students' performance. After spending nearly six months on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) duties, they are now being assigned census work. This will further reduce the time available for classroom teaching.
Calendar chaos
Teachers assigned multiple non-academic duties
The SIR duties have already disrupted teaching schedules, with several schools operating on half-day schedules.
The deadline for these duties has now been extended to November 25, adding to teachers' burdens.
Per HT, Vijay Kombe, state president of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers Committee, said that over 40 academic hours were lost between July and August due to these non-academic tasks.
Assessment impact
Delays in periodic assessment tests
"Due to all the non-academic activities handed out to teachers, this examination too was postponed," he said.
Kombe also pointed out that periodic assessment tests (PATs), usually held in August or September, have been delayed due to these non-academic activities.
The PATs were introduced three years ago to evaluate students' progress and identify learning gaps.
Around 15 million students across Maharashtra take these assessments annually.
Training turmoil
Training for census duty to further disrupt academics
As the second phase of the census approaches, teachers will be required to attend training sessions between December 21 and January 10, he said.
Each teacher is expected to attend three to four days of training.
The actual population count will take place from January 25 to February 28, further eating into the academic calendar.
"When will teachers get time to complete...syllabus?" he asked.
Other teachers' organizations have also raised concerns about the impact of non-academic duties on students.
Organizational objections
Other teachers' organizations voice concerns
Tanaji Kamble, president of the Progressive Teachers Association, noted that in the Ghatkopar East assembly constituency, a large number of employees assigned for BLO duty were from the education department.
Nanda Kamble, vice-president of Shikshak Bharati, questioned how government assessments would accurately reflect student progress when teachers are frequently pulled away from classrooms.
"When teachers spend so much time away from the classroom, how does the government intend to assess students' academic progress?"