The diktat talks of a penalty-and-promotion approach for teachers to improve quality of education
Nearly 1,000 teachers from the Shiv Sena-led Mumbai BMC Teachers' Union and private-aided schools staged a protest on Saturday demanding withdrawal of a circular that seeks to penalise and reward teachers with the aim of improving quality of education.
The demonstrators held their protest outside the Dadar office of the the education department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
According to the circular issued recently, civic teachers can be fined if students don't do well as per the parameters spelled out in Shaala Siddhi (National Programme on School Standards and Evaluation).
The action ranges from fines between Rs100 and Rs 2,000 to loss of increment, temporarily and permanently depending on the warnings issued to a teacher. Under the national programme, students will have to meet 25 parameters such as being able to read, write, solve mathematical problems, tell stories.
Fines apart, the circular also says that teachers will be rewarded and nominated for Mayor's awards if their students meet the parameters.
Prakash Chavan, secretary of the teachers' union, said they are opposed to the penalty clause. "It is not fair to take away their increment or impose fine on them after they put in so much hard work in teaching."
K P Naik, a former Shiv Sena corporator and the union president, said, "We have demanded that the BMC's education department withdraw the circular on punishment of teachers. The promotion criteria have also upset the teachers community."
A BMC education officer said that the union has come up 40 demands, including the rollback of the circular on imposing fine on teachers. "If the teachers perform well, the time will never come that a fine will be imposed on them. This decision by the government is to improve the quality of education."
THE CIRCULAR
- Teachers can be fined if students don’t do well as per the parameters spelled out in Shaala Siddhi
- The action ranges from fines between Rs100 and Rs 2,000 to loss of increment
- Penalty apart, the circular also says that teachers will be rewarded if their students excel
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 "Teacher Protest")
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