Enrol students or go home, private schools warn teachers

Kurnool: “Enrol ten new admissions for the academic year or else better stay at home,” is the order given to the teachers and lecturers of private and corporate schools and colleges.

They are forced to take to streets knocking every door urging parents to admit their wards in schools and colleges. The teachers are not even allowed to enjoy summer vacation with family members as this task has to be completed by the end of May.

To fulfil the given task, teachers are forced to run from pillar to post from dawn to dusk. The teachers are neither in a position to quit nor continue in the job. There are nearly 120 private junior colleges with a teaching staff of 1,800 in the district. In addition to the junior colleges, 1,052 private management schools are also simultaneously running in the district. 

According to reports, as many as 2.5 lakh students are reportedly pursuing education in the above schools across the district. Among these, nearly 1.95 lakh students are from 1st class to 8th class and around 82,000 teachers have been engaged in the profession.

To cope with the heavy competitions in the private sector, managements of schools and colleges have set a target to the teaching staff to join at least 10 students for the academic year, failing which they would be sacked from their post. With the setting up of targets, the teachers and lecturers are forced to look around for students and enrol them even risking their health in the scorching summer heat. 

Speaking to The Hans India here on Tuesday, Kalyani, a teacher working in a private school in Nandyal alleged that the private school managements were harassing them.

She accused of salaries were not being paid regularly every month. Sometimes, they deduct salaries even if the teachers failed to report to duty owing to ill-health, she lamented. Kalyani suggested to school managements to engage a separate staff for giving publicity as well as enrolling students.

The education system needs drastic changes, she urged. She also wondered as to what the District Educational Officer (DEO) and Regional Inspection Officer (RIO) were doing.

They should have control over these institutions and cancel the recognition given to such schools. In both cases, the teachers urged not to reveal the school names and if mentioned them, their services would be terminated.

Amos Kumar, the husband of a teacher working at a private school located in Venkataramana colony said that earlier, teachers were engaged to teach subjects but not to go around admitting students.

Now, it doesn’t make any difference if subjects were not taught but mobilising students has become compulsory. This trend needs to be changed, or else, the teachers would not be in a position to impart quality education, he added.