In compliance with the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the State has issued a Government order increasing the working hours of school teachers.
The RTE Act lays down an increase in the working hours of Government school teachers to a minimum of 45 hours a week from the current 33, said Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) State project additional director RK Kunwar.
Though the working hours for teachers have been increased, the duration of students’ stay in the school remains the same. This order will help in providing quality education in Government schools, he added
Kunwar said that during the additional working hours, the teachers are expected to finish the paper work, check notebooks, prepare for the next day’s classes, prepare teaching material, identify students’ weaknesses, work on school development plan, practical research, address students’ grievances in consultation with their parents or by involving local communities.
The new timings will be implemented in all primary (classes I to V) and upper primary (classes VI to VIII) schools across the State. The working hours have been increased by two hours a day for teachers of primary schools and upper primary schools. “Students of classes I to V will attend school for 220 days a year while those in classes VI to VIII will have 230 school days annually,” he added.
During inspection, school principals and teachers found not implementing this order will face departmental action, he said. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan State project RTE Cell expert Krishan Swaroop said that according to the new timings, teachers are expected to be available in their schools for additional two hours before or after school hours. The schools will be open from 7:30 am to 1:00 pm during summers and from 10:00 pm to 3: 30 pm in winters.
The principals of Government schools have been strictly directed not to assign administrative works to their teachers. They will conduct monthly parents teachers meeting and its report will be maintained in school register. However, Government school teachers are questioning the viability of this decision for teachers in most inaccessible areas where they have to walk a couple of hours to reach the school.