Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru/Udupi (SP)
Mangaluru/Udupi, Oct 23: A total of 1,890 posts of teachers are vacant in the primary and high schools in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
The schools and colleges have reopened after a long lull of 18 months. Primary schools too are scheduled to be opened soon. The government schools have witnessed an increase in admissions but the shortage of teachers persists. This can have a telling effect on the academic activities of the coming year.
Teachers’ shortage is felt in primary, high schools, PU colleges and degree colleges alike. Therefore, the existing teachers are under pressure to take more burden. As physical classes have commenced, the government has assured to appoint guest teachers and lecturers to ensure that the learning of students is not affected. However, this process is yet to begin.
The situation is not any better in aided schools and colleges. Their governing bodies are awaiting government permission to make appointments. In unaided educational institutions, the managements themselves appoint the teachers and hence they do not face any problem of shortage.
There is a shortage of 150 teaching staff in the government PU colleges of Dakshina Kannada and 106 in Udupi. Currently, lecturers from colleges where the pressure is less, are being deputed to colleges that are urgently in need of teaching staff.
In government degree colleges falling under Mangalore University, over 60 percent of the posts are vacant. The practice of appointing guest lecturers is followed here. But no new appointments have been made for the year 2021-22. The terms of the previous about 900 guest lecturers ended on September 22 this year and they are worried about their future.
In Dakshina Kannada district, out of 3,729 vacancies in primary schools, 2,701 have been filled and there is shortfall of 1028. In high schools, out of 1,172 posts, 959 have been filled and 213 are vacant.
In Udupi district, out of 2,174 posts in primary schools, 1,646 have been filled and 528 posts are vacant. In this district, out of 851 positions in high schools, 731 have been filled and 120 are vacant.