344 Teachers Would Need To Work As Sweepers Overnight As Kerala Government Plans To Close Schools

On Friday, 344 single teachers working in Kerala's tribal districts will be demoted to sweeper status after the state administration chose to close the schools they staffed. The move is considered cruel by both the professors and the children.

The decision to shut the multi-grade learning centres (MGLC) and the instructors' hardship were covered on March 6.

K R Usha Kumari, who has been the principal of Kunnathumala school in Amboori, Thiruvananthapuram district, for the past 23 years and is saddened that she will no longer be among the youngsters who want to read, write, and succeed through education.

She remarked that when she told her students that their last lesson at the MGLC would be on Friday, they assumed she was joking. Many people in the neighbourhood still believe she would return after a week off. Perhaps it's because they've become accustomed to see her traverse 14 kilometres of rocky terrain five days a week for the past 23 years.

According to a senior official with the general education department, nearly 500 full-time and part-time sweeper positions have been recorded. Meanwhile, A P M Mohammed Hanish, the state's Higher Education Principal Secretary, informed that the state government has not yet made a final judgement on the single teacher's appointment as sweepers.

The government has decided to clear their salary arrears for a period of up to 12 months. Tribal activists have expressed concern for the children's future.

Another incident came into highlight where a teacher turned into auto driver was Pataabi Raman, a 74-year-old Bengaluru auto driver, was the day's sensation. He's a 60-year-old English instructor who's been living on the streets for 14 years.

Raman's story went viral after Nikita Iyer published the 45-minute journey and conversation with a skilled auto driver who speaks fluent English in a widely circulated LinkedIn post. She expressed her admiration for the auto driver's impeccable English on LinkedIn.

In a pleasant tone, Raman described his adventure and how he had been driving the car for the last 14 years. He worked as an instructor in a college in Powai, Mumbai, for the preceding 20 years. As he worked at a private college, he was not qualified for a pension. He returned to Karnataka and began driving a car in Bengaluru to cover his daily expenses. He currently resides in Kadugodi with his 72-year-old wife.