Retd teachers to be appointed in schools with less than 20 students

MUMBAI: After the school education department failed to close schools with less than 20 students, it has now decided to appoint retired teachers or unemployed teachers with a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree in schools with less than 20 students on contractual basis. This was announced through a government resolution (GR) on Thursday.
As per the GR, a retired teacher, who is under the age of 70 and physically fit, will be appointed on a contractual basis with ₹15,000 remuneration per month.
Educationists were quick to point out that this decision will force parents to move their children from government schools to private ones, leaving the government with no other option than to shut down the schools. As many as 14,985 schools in the state have less than 20 students.
“The government’s plan to appoint retired teachers is not good for the education system. This may harm teachers’ positions in such schools in the future,” said Mahendra Ganpule, member of the Maharashtra Principal Association.
The latest decision is in line with the state’s decision to align its schooling system with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and to check dropouts after primary education.
Decrying the decision, Tanaji Kamble, state president of the Maharashtra Progressive Teachers Association, said, “It will impact thousands of qualified D.Ed, B.Ed, and TET exam-passed candidates who have been waiting for government recruitment. It’s ironic that the government has come up with the decision on Teacher’s Day.” He warned of agitation if the government does not withdraw the decision.