TSUTF demands rollback of Teachers' Performance Appraisal Policy

Hyderabad: The Telangana State United Teachers Federation (TSUTF) demanded the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Schools Society (TSWRSS) to rollback its new Teachers Performance Appraisal Policy. TSUTF State president K Jangaiah and general secretary Chava Ravi on Friday said that the TSWRSS was fishing in troubled waters. At a time when the entire education sector remained in confusion and chaos due to Covid-19, the new teachers performance appraisal policy became a nightmare for them, they pointed out.

Giving reasons, the TSUTF leaders said that only online classes were held during the last academic year, but several students couldn't attend the online classes due to lack of smartphones. However, following the initiative by former TSWRSS secretary RS Praveen Kumar, 'classes were held in some places by arranging Rural Learning Centers handled by the alumni. But they also did not run due to the severity of Covid second wave. The State government has scrapped the examinations and promoted all the students, they informed.

The duo said that the TSWRSS has brought in a new performance appraisal policy without informing the teachers, that too, after the completion of the academic year. As part of the new policy, the teachers were asked to prepare self-assessment reports, they pointed out. 'Covering the students, who attended online classes, evaluation of students, attendance at rural learning centers, the teachers have to submit the self-appraisal reports supported with shreds of evidence.' In turn, the reports would be evaluated and assessed by teachers from outside. Based on third party evaluation, the TSWRSS has issued a circular that it would take disciplinary action against the teachers, Jangaiah and Ravi added.

The TS UTF leaders said that the teachers were already struggling to cope up with the increased workload. And it was unjustified that the TSWRSS wants to assess teachers' performance based on online classes, which did not run properly, they objected. The leaders said that teachers were worried about the new performance policy and demanded the TSWRSS to take back its appraisal performance policy.