Education in Government schools has been adversely affected due to deployment of Government school teachers for different works like verification of ration cards, census, voter cards and other tasks in the State. Due to deployment of teachers for such works, there are several primary and junior schools with the strength of around 100 students or more each which are being run by no more than one teacher each.
Though several schemes including Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), Midday Meal Scheme, providing free text book, uniform and others are operational in the government schools under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan sponsored by the central government for ensuring quality education in the schools, the benefit of these schemes is being diluted by the unavailability of teachers.
Teachers from various government schools in Dehradun are deployed for verification of ration cards. It has been observed that generally every couple of months, school teachers are deployed for various works. As a result, in most of the primary schools, only one or two teachers are teaching more than 100 or 200 students.
Due to shortage of teachers, those teachers who remain in their schools are focusing on providing midday meal to the students rather than on providing them education. At some places, Bhojan Mata was witnessed teaching the students due to shortage of teachers.
During inspection by education officers in the primary schools of Dehradun, they observed that students are lacking in basics. Recently, Uttarakhand Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani expressed disappointment at level of education being provided to the students studying in Government schools.
However, Dehradun district magistrate BVRC Purushottam said that very few teachers are deployed for verification of ration cards in the city area. Apart from the teachers, this work is being completed with the help of Anganwadi workers and other government employees in the district. Teachers have been deputed to this work for a week only.
According to him, works like census, verification of ration cards, voter cards and others cannot be completed through outsourcing. Purushottam acknowledged that education in the schools might have been adversely affected due to deployment of teachers on other works but said that alternatives will be considered next time.