CUDDALORE: The Tamilaga Aarambapalli Aasiriyar Koottani has made a general appeal to all the political parties to remove the anomalies in the education system and ensure quality education by posting adequate number of teachers.

State general secretary of the Koottani S. Abdul Majid has stressed the point that in the interest of students and the future of the society, the political parties should make it a point to incorporate a pragmatic education policy in their election manifestos.

Indiscriminate transfers

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Majid said at present the teachers were in a predicament because there was no job guarantee, and moreover they were put to hardships by indiscriminate transfers.

The Government had arbitrarily changed the teacher-student ratio from 2:36 to 2: 99, thus rendering over one lakh teacher posts "excess." Because of this drastic measure, the effective strength of teachers at the primary level at present was only 86,000 as against 1.93 lakh.

The teachers thus rendered excess were being posted in supernumerary posts and their unusual shuffling not only upset them but also the entire education system. Mr. Majid pointed out that though the Central Government had circulated the draft education bill among the States, favouring a teacher-student ratio of 1:40, the Tamil Nadu Government did not seem to have evinced interest in it.

He said funds would not be a constraint for improving the quality of education, because last year the Centre had allocated Rs. 10,543 crore and the Tamil Nadu Government had allotted Rs. 468 crore for education in their budgets.

Alleviating poverty

The Forum was of the view that only by imparting quality education, the socio-economic status of the two-crore odd people living below the poverty line in Tamil Nadu could be improved. Therefore, the Forum appealed to the political parties to accord due importance to primary education and lay stress on posting three teachers, excluding the headmaster, in schools having up to five classes.

Mr. Majid said these suggestions would be forwarded to all political parties, and based on their response, the Koottani would take action in consultation with the Parent-Teachers Associations.

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