Raiganj, Oct. 27 -- In a move to improve the quality of primary education, the District Primary School Council (DPSC) of North Dinajpur has decided to transfer teachers from schools with surplus staff to those facing a shortage of teachers. The transfer process is expected to begin after the Puja vacation.
According to DPSC sources, North Dinajpur has a total of 1,467 government-run free primary schools spread across nine blocks. An assessment by the council has identified 575 schools with surplus teachers, while 577 schools are reportedly facing a shortage of teaching staff.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, prescribes a pupil-teacher ratio of 30:1 at the primary level. However, this ratio is reportedly not being maintained in many schools in the district. Sources said that due to the shortage of teachers, some schools have been compelled to accommodate students of two different classes in a single classroom for lessons. The situation has reportedly disrupted the teaching process and affected students' learning.
To address the problem, the DPSC has decided to rationalise the deployment of teachers according to student strength and the requirements of individual schools. Under the proposed initiative, teachers from schools with excess staff will be transferred to institutions where the number of teachers is inadequate. Subrata Sarkar, Chairman of the District Primary School Council of North Dinajpur stated: "We have a report that the studies of students are being affected due to a shortage of teachers in a considerable number of primary schools. We have therefore initiated steps to transfer teachers from schools with surplus staff to those facing a shortage.
Meanwhile, some teachers seeking transfers have also submitted applications to us. We will begin the transfer process after the Puja vacation to improve the standard of school education."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.