GSHSEB survey finds many self financed schools lacking qualified teachers

Updated on: Monday, November 19, 2012

In Ahmedabad, 25 per cent of the self-financed private schools do not have adequate qualified staff. This was revealed in a survey ordered by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) in secondary and high secondary schools in the state.

City district education officer (DEO) R I Patel said that the major problem is with the qualification of staff. "In one fourth of the schools, there was shortage of staff or the employees were less qualified. Teachers are the backbone of education in any school. These gaps will have to be filled", said Patel.

Ahmedabad is, however, one of the only 12 districts which have completed the survey. The rest 14 districts are yet to complete the survey which promises to give a clear picture of the status of education in 7,000-odd private schools in Gujarat.

GSHSEB officials said that the survey was ordered following consistent lack of staff for assessment of class X and XII board exam papers from private schools which led to an annual crisis of sorts. The load invariably fell on teachers of government schools as self-financed schools shrug off the responsibility by citing lack of staff.

"The survey aims to give a complete picture of the actual human resources and infrastructure of self-financed schools. After the survey, we can order the schools to strengthen the same, to avoid penal action. We received numerous representations that many self-financed schools cut back on staff, payments to teachers and infrastructure," said board chairman Varsani.

Board officials say that since most of the government machinery is busy with the election work, the survey would now be completed by January after the elections are over in Gujarat.

"Many schools which required six qualified teachers to teach secondary and higher secondary classes are making do with only two", said Patel. In Gandhinagar, one school with 1,500 students had only two qualified teachers on its rolls.

Rajkot DEO said that there are 290-odd private schools in the district of which survey is complete in 135 schools. Preliminary findings point that there is shortage of qualified staff. Less qualified teachers are being employed to save on money.

In Surat, DEO Dinesh Patel said that the survey has not yet taken off. There are in all 250 schools where inspectors will be sent to study the complete details.

GSHSEB survey finds many self financed schools lacking qualified teachers

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