GSHSEB fails to ensure sufficient teachers for evaluation

Updated on: Monday, April 29, 2013

English-medium teachers reporting for evaluation of class XI chemistry paper at a centre in Isanpur are having a tough time dealing with a moderator from a Gujarati medium school.

Despite all its efforts, the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) has failed to ensure fair evaluation of student's hard work. Earlier, it was class X and XII students and now, class XI students have also been added in the list.

This centre has 6,600 answersheets that have to be evaluated. And, the job is being handled by just 16 teachers divided into four groups. The teachers, who have reported for evaluation, are already tired as this is their second round of duty. To further add to their woes is that the moderator of this evaluation process is a teacher from a Gujarati medium school, Mukesh Patel. Patel is a teacher from New Vidyavihar for Girls (Vadaj).

GSHSEB officials, however, reason that Patel used to teach at an English medium school earlier, but was later transferred to the Gujarati medium school. Board chairman R R Varsani said, "Patel is the sixth senior most English medium teacher as per our records. He was teaching in the English medium school, but he had to be shifted to the Gujarati medium school in Vadaj two years back as he came into the surplus category."

A teacher on evaluation duty said, "Chemistry is a subject where language and jargon changes completely with the medium of language. Still, the GSHSEB has allowed a moderator from Gujarati medium, whereas there are many teachers from English medium capable of doing the task." Another teacher added, "Whether it's English medium teacher teaching Gujarati medium students or Gujarati medium teacher evaluating English medium papers, academics and students suffer tremendously."

The board needs to clarify its norms on who is eligible for evaluating papers. A teacher pointed, "I am an English medium teacher and have been teaching for past two decades, but till date I am called a Gujarati medium teacher. The board has failed to rectify this mistake and I suffer year after year justifying my medium." Venting out his anger, a teacher said, "Not just teachers, but even the students are suffering due to the lackadaisical approach of the GSHSEB. We face this problem every year as the board has failed to ensure sufficient teachers for evaluation."

GSHSEB fails to ensure sufficient teachers for evaluation

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