KASARAGOD: Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Chandragiri: Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Economics, Zoology, Botany, Hindi.
If you thought these are the subjects taught in classes 11 and 12 in these schools, you are wrong. These are in fact, the subjects for which the government school in Chandragiri does not have teachers -- that is almost all science subjects.
GHSS in Iriyanni does not have teachers for English, Hindi, Maths, Chemistry, Politics, and Zoology in Classes 11 and 12.
GHSS in Cherkala does not have teachers for Computer Science, Politics, Zoology, Hindi, and Malayalam.
GHSS in Thalangara does not have teachers for Chemistry, Geography, Economics, Zoology, and Malayalam.
So goes the list. Sixteen higher secondary schools in Kasaragod educational sub-district do not have teachers for 55 subjects. That is the story of just one sub-district in the district.
With the state government sitting on the appointments of teachers in schools, the Department of Education has come up with a quick-fix solution of asking teachers of other schools to give online classes for students without teachers. The department calls it a 'working arrangement'.
But a section of higher secondary school teachers is not amused. "It is not that we are hesitant to teach. But the government's working arrangement plan is hogwash to give an impression that it is taking care of all students but few students will benefit," said Jiji Thomas, state vice-president of Aided Higher Secondary School Teachers' Association (AHSSTA), which is affiliated to the Congress.
Several teachers said many schools do not have enough teachers because the government hasn't recruited teachers for the past two years.
Around 200 teaching posts in 115 higher secondary schools in Kasaragod district are lying vacant, said Abhiram C P, district president of government Higher Secondary School Teachers Association (HSSTA).
Of them, the government has given appointment letters and advice memos to around 75 candidates but are not being recruited over "technical reasons".
After online classes spectacularly failed in the last academic year, the Director of General Education Jeevan Babu K issued a circular asking all higher secondary school teachers to conduct online classes for their students in addition to the classes on Victers TV channel.
The classes for Class 12 started on June 1. But the same day, the evaluation of answer papers of Class 12 students of the previous academic year started. Then the government set the dates for practical exams for Class 12 students from June 21 to July 7. "That means, teachers will be free only on July 8," said Abhiram.
Yet, many teachers -- after correcting papers during the daytime -- are giving online classes from 7 pm to 10 pm. "In my class, there are 61 students but only 35 attend my online class," said Abhiram.
Students across the district face internet network issues. "And by night, many students exhaust their internet daily data," said Thomas.
Recently, the Kannur-based Regional Deputy Director, who heads higher secondary education in the region, 'suggested' that teachers should give classes for students of schools without teachers.
But Thomas said the Director of Higher Education Jeevan Babu asked teachers to give online classes so that students would get personal attention. "This working arrangement will make the class crowded and teachers will not be able to follow up with students individually, offline," he said.
Following up with students offline is crucial because many students do not have access to seamless internet.
Abhiram said the shortage of teachers was artificially created by the government. "My school does not have a computer science teacher. A recruit is waiting outside with appointment order but the government is not allowing them to join," he said.
Another teacher said Google Meet can have only up to 100 participants. Clubbing two schools will increase the number of students beyond 100, for which a paid version of Google Meet will be required. "I don't think schools have funds to buy the paid version," he said.
Practical and Class 11 exams
The government has also got the exam fixture for students of Class 11 wrong, said teachers. The exam for class 11 is scheduled in September, but the students have started attending classes for Class 12 on KITE-Victers TV.
"From June to August they will be learning only the syllabus in Class 12. In the fourth month, they will be asked about Class 11," said Abhiram.
If schools have regular teachers, they could at least conduct revision classes, he said. Meanwhile, teachers feared practical exams could become a covid spreading event.
Abhiram said his school has only three mouth pipettes in the chemistry lab. "One batch will have 15 students for practical exams. They will have to share the mouth pipettes which is not advisable now," he said. Similarly, computers will also have to be shared by students. What is worse is students were not even given lab training in the last academic year.