Two government schools functioning in same premises at Chattabal here have 43 teachers posted for just 120 students, raising questions over rationalization process that was initiated by previous government with much fanfare.
The Girls High School (GHS) Chattabal has 70 students on rolls. The school has 28 teachers. In GHS RN Mandir 50 students are enrolled in classes from 7th to 10th. It has 15 teachers.
According to norms, every school up to secondary level should have teacher-pupil ratio of 1:35. In Chattabal School, however for every teacher the number of students is less than three. In RN Mandir School the teacher-pupil ratio is almost 1:3. Both, the schools are housed in separate double storey buildings
In combine the two schools have 43 teachers for 120 students with teacher-pupil ratio of 1:3.
An official said some “influential teachers” have been posted in the schools when their services are not required there.
The RN Mandir School was functioning in Chotta Bazzar till 2014 in a rented building. “But the school was shifted here (Chattabal) after the building got damaged in 2014 floods,” a teacher said.
An official said Srinagar (city) schools and Jammu (city) schools have teacher-pupil ratio of 1:8 and 1:7 against the recommended 1:30. “Several exercises have been undertaken in the past to find address this problem but there is no improvement on the ground,” the official said.
Then education minister Naem Akhtar had rolled out the policy of rationalization to merge schools which have low enrollment and to shift teachers from such schools to the institutes where they are required. Though hundreds of schools were clubbed under the process, many such schools have been left out.
Chief education officer (CEO) Srinagar M K Fazli said RN Mandir School couldn’t be shifted to its original place owing to non availability of land.