Government schools in Karaikal are facing a shortage of teachers, and vacancies in key positions have left schools dependent on temporary measures.
Each year, approximately 6,000 students attend primary schools in the district, 6,500 middle and high schools, and 2,600 study in higher secondary schools. However, the district faces a severe shortage of Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs) for classes 6 to 10, with 73 out of 336 sanctioned posts vacant. This shortage has worsened due to unfilled positions due to retirements and promotions. Seventeen Headmasters Grade 1 positions remain unfilled, forcing teachers to take on administrative duties, especially in rural areas where long trips to the Chief Educational Officer’s office further cut into their teaching time.
At VOC Higher Secondary School in Kottucherry Commune, students in classes 11 and 12 lack a full-time Zoology teacher, with a teacher from a neighbouring school stepping in for only two days a week. Kurumbagaram High School in Nedungadu Commune is struggling without Grade 1 and Grade 2 headmasters and a science teacher for classes 6 to 10, forcing reliance on temporary teachers. Thanthai Periyar Higher Secondary School faces a shortage of physics teachers, with only one available for 10 sections, and class 9 students without science instruction altogether.
Thenur Higher Secondary School in Thirunalar and Thirunallar Girls Higher Secondary School are operating without Vice-Principals, while Kudumbagaram High School in Nedungadu depends on a temporary, minimally paid science teacher. Additionally, both Nedungadu Higher Secondary and Kamaraj Government High School suffer from a lack of trained Mathematics teachers, leaving students without proper instruction in crucial subjects.
Lecturers for classes 11 and 12 are also in short supply, with 32 out of 127 posts vacant. Additionally, three higher secondary schools are functioning without Vice-Principals, adding to the administrative burden on staff. In primary schools, vacancies leave teachers working without breaks, draining their energy. As one headmaster lamented, “We should have six teachers, but with only five, we are working all eight hours without rest.”
A. Vincent, district president of the Parent Teachers Welfare Association in Karaikal, criticised the recent introduction of CBSE system in the schools without consulting parents, teachers, or associations. He attributed the decline in pass percentages over the past two years to the teacher shortage. “The education budget is insufficient. The government hires temporary teachers on an hourly basis, while private schools offer up to ₹40,000 monthly. Filling vacancies is the only way forward, as teachers are overworked and stretched thin,” Mr.Vincent said.”
M. Rajeshwari, Deputy Director of the School Education Department in Karaikal for classes 11 and 12, said: “We have conveyed our faculty requirements to the Department of Education in Puducherry.”
A senior official from the CEO Department and Primary Education said they too had also communicated their requirements to the government.
Collector D. Manikandan told The Hindu that the matter had been taken up with the Puducherry government “In the meantime, we are exploring various measures to address the issue,” he said
