Hyderabad: Private schools grapple with teaching staff crunch

Hyderabad: It has been three months since the new academic year has begun but the private schools are still grappling with crunch in teaching staff. In every private school, there is around 20 to 25 per cent vacancies, especially in the higher class.

According to private school teachers, during Covid lockdown, many private schools terminated the services of few teachers. In order to have sustainability teachers opted for different professions as they were paid less and did not have any job security.

On the condition of anonymity, aprivate school teacher,said, "It has been almost three months, but the teachers requirement has not being done yet have passed yet there is a requirement of teaching staff. Our school lacks teachers for higher classes for Math and Science in my school.

Last year due to pandemic, classes were conducted online and we somehow managed but this year, as classes are been conducted physically it is giving us a burden as we have to conduct more number of classes. We are forced to take the different subjects in which we are not experienced. The school management is least bothered to appoint experienced teachers."

Sharada, English teacher of a private school, said, "Due to lack of particular subject teachers in our school, sometimes we are forced to make students of the different classes sit in a single room. Due to non-the availability of teachers, additional burden is falling on us. This crunch is also affecting students' career."

Shabbir Ali, President, Telangana Private Teachers' Forum, said, "In every private school there is a shortage of teaching staff and even some schools are functioning without principle.

Few schools are also functioning with non-qualified teachers. In these two years, 30 percent of teachers have changed their fields due to financial and mental problems due to the pandemic. As a result, the management is only functioning the schools with the graduates. Although the management is looking for qualified teachers, the teachers are afraid that they will face the same situation again.

Many have given up because of a lack of assurance from the school management. Due to the shortage of teachers children's futures are at stake.

It will be better if the Education department takes action on the private schools that are functioning with non-trained teachers and also should pass strict odder of recruiting teaching staff in the schools."