Mumbai, July 10 -- More than 40 Marathi-medium schools run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), each having at least 70 students, are functioning with only one teacher, sources in the civic body told Hindustan Times. Another 50 of the 254 BMC-run Marathi schools have only one permanent teacher, with other teachers being employed on clock hour basis (CHB), the sources said. The Right to Education (RTE) Act and teacher approval rules mandate appointment of one teacher for every 20 students. Referring to these provisions, Sushil Shejule, an activist with the Marathi Abhyas Kendra, said, "If a school has 70 students, it should have at least three teachers. Providing only one teacher is unfair. It shows that the BMC is not serious about running Marathi schools, which cater to students from poor and economically weaker section (EWS) families." Civic officials said the shortage of teachers in Marathi schools came into sharp focus after parents of students enrolled in the Kawale Math BMC School in Walkeshwar raised concern about a single teacher teaching 110 students, as reported in HT on June 19. In many schools, the only available teacher had been assigned Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral tolls, further reducing the time available for teaching, officials said. The shortage of teachers in Marathi-medium schools was discussed in the recent BMC education committee meeting, they added. Kirtivardhan Kiratkudve, Education Officer of the BMC's Primary Education Department, said the administration was taking the issue seriously. "Since the recruitment process takes time, school heads have been given permission to appoint teachers on a CHB basis," he said. However, a principal of one of the affected schools said that although CHB teachers are regularly appointed, most leave within a few months after finding permanent jobs. "As a result, schools like ours continue to face staff shortages, making it difficult to conduct regular teaching. Permanent teachers must be appointed to solve the problem," the principal said....