30 August,2024 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Prasun Choudhari
The protest at Triveni Sangam school, outside the education officer’s office. Pics/Ashish Raje
Teachers from BMC schools and BMC-aided institutions gathered outside the education officer's office on Friday to protest against issues impacting their rights and the future of schoolchildren. The protest took place at the Triveni Sangam Municipal School premises, outside the office of the education officer, where the teachers demanded swift action on various longstanding concerns under the leadership of MLA Ajay Choudhary and the Mahanagarpalika Shikshak Sena (Shiv Sena UBT) banner.
Teacher shortage, poll duty
One of the key issues highlighted by the protesting teachers was the acute shortage of staff in both BMC-run and BMC-aided schools. According to the teachers, this shortage is further increased during election time when many are appointed as Booth Level Officers (BLOs). This dual responsibility, they said, significantly reduces the number of teachers available for classroom duties, often leaving multiple classes without teachers.
A protesting teacher, fearing job termination, said on the condition of anonymity: "There is a shortage of around 2,500 teachers across BMC schools in Mumbai. To make matters worse, the maximum number of teachers are appointed as BLOs during elections and are even sent for duties during census. As was witnessed during the Lok Sabha elections, teachers were hardly seen in classrooms as they were preoccupied with various other election duties. This will also be the case during the Vidhan Sabha elections if no decision is passed soon."
Pension reforms, other rights
In addition to staffing concerns, the protestors voiced their demands for fair pension rights and the old pension format. The teachers, including both current and retired BMC school employees, criticised the prolonged delays in addressing pension-related issues. Holding placards and banners, the teachers shouted slogans calling for immediate government intervention and solutions to their grievances.
Education, student safety impacted
The protest drew attention to the broader impact of these issues on the quality of education in Mumbai's civic schools. With teachers often pulled away from their primary roles for election duties, the continuity of education is disrupted, affecting the students' learning experience. "Our primary duty is to educate and ensure the safety of the children. How can we do that when we are stretched so thin?" questioned one protesting teacher.
According to the teacher, the issue is not just that of extra duties, but also the safety of the children left unattended in class. "Since there is a shortage of teachers and the existing teachers are appointed for election duties, many classrooms remain unattended. What if another Badlapur-like incident occurs when a class is left unattended due to elections or any other such duties? Who will take the responsibility for it? As class teachers, we will be held responsible in the immediate as parents are not even aware that teachers were not even on the school premises. Additionally, the syllabus often remains incomplete due to this. If a teacher is not in class, how is he/she expected to teach? Isn't our primary job teaching?" the protesting teacher added.
Another teacher said, "We do not want the education of students to be hampered because of all the extra duties we are being allotted. Even today, many of us went to our respective schools, taught the classes and then came here for the protest. We never want the education of our students to be compromised."
Plea for urgent resolution
As the protest continued, the teachers urged the BMC and the state government to take immediate steps to resolve these issues. They called for a review of the current policies. K P Naik, president of the Mahanagarpalika Shikshak Sena, told midday: "In a meeting with the education officer held on Friday, the education officer agreed to four of the six demands made and also agreed to send a proposal to the state department regarding the same.
One of the demands agreed upon today was the appointment of teachers to fill up the vacant positions in schools. A common meeting has been arranged with the BMC commissioner on September 5 where the demands will be discussed and we hope a positive decision is given in favour of the teachers."
