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It should not be a case of all work and poor pay Peoplespeak

Photo: G. Moorthy

Moulding personalities: Teachers are entrusted with a vital responsibility. So, the remuneration must be adequate. —

The disparity between the salary paid to the teachers in government schools and those in unaided schools is so wide that it requires the urgent attention of the government. The State government’s move to appoint a committee to study service conditions of the teachers in unaided schools is laudable. Many unaided schools with good student strength, infrastructure and sound finances do not pay reasonable wages to teachers. It is a form of exploitation of unemployment. On the other hand, some unaided schools are not able to pay decent wages to teachers due to lack of sufficient students on the rolls. Only if steps are taken to improve the working conditions/wages of teachers in unaided schools, will talented people consider teaching as a career option.

S. Paul Dhason

Thiruvananthapuram

Teaching, as a career, has a good future. There are many opportunities in this profession. But there are few takers because of poor remuneration, especially in unaided institutions. Also, the working conditions of teachers are pathetic in these schools. Here, teachers are often burdened with many other school-related works and their focus shifts from teaching. They are denied leave even for genuine reasons. If they manage to get a leave, their salary is cut.

Many women teachers give up this profession as they find it hard to balance it with their family obligations. The State government’s decision to appoint a committee to assess the situation is welcome.

A wage board too must be constituted for the teachers. When the unaided institutions exploit students and make profits, a good share of it should reach the teachers. The proposed committee should visit unaided institutions and give due importance to teachers’ opinions. Teaching community is a vital component of any society as it moulds the future citizens. Their contribution must not go unnoticed.

R. Akhil Ratheesh

Thiruvananthapuram

Most of the self-financing institutions in the State function like sweatshops. These schools fleece parents with exorbitant fees and pay paltry amounts as remuneration to teachers. They take advantage of the helplessness of the unemployed youth. Even aided schools continue to resist attempts to regulate the appointment of teachers. Therefore, the task of exercising control over unaided schools, especially those with a minority tag, is going to be a trying task. The committee has to persuade the managements to provide fair compensation to their staff. For instance, while according permission to start a school, it should be mandated that the institution should subject itself to a rating by a professional body. The rating could take into account, among other things, the salary paid to the staff, experience of the teachers and more importantly, the attrition rate of teachers. This is because, many teachers quit after some time because of the poor working conditions. If the compensation is adequate, this will not happen. Parents should patronize schools which accept the rating system. Since government schools educate the economically weaker sections of the society, their rating could be based on different criteria.

Running an educational institution for profit is not per se unethical. But exploiting the staff is unacceptable in a progressive society.

By treating the staff well, the unaided schools enhance their credibility. They can attract good teachers which will improve the quality of education.

The past attempts to fix minimum salaries for teachers in unaided schools have not yielded desired results. What is the level of compensation which can be considered fair? Issues of this sort should be handled carefully.

V.N. Mukundarajan

Thiruvananthapuram

Teachers at all levels, especially at the primary and secondary school stages, are professionals, entrusted with the responsibility of moulding a nation’s future. They should be sufficiently knowledgeable, of a high moral character, and well trained in the art and technique of teaching. To draw people of such calibre into the teaching profession, salaries and working conditions should be attractive.

The hike in the pay of teachers in government service is therefore a welcome move.

This should be made applicable to all schools following recognized syllabi irrespective of whether they are run by the government or private agencies with or without aid. The authorities should put in place regulatory mechanisms to ensure that all teachers with similar levels of responsibilities are paid similar salaries.

This will ensure good talent and improve the quality of education at all levels. Higher remuneration should also concomitantly raise the accountability and code of conduct of the teachers in general.

B.K.S. Nair

Thiruvananthapuram

A wage hike would be the right step towards making teaching an attractive career choice. But this alone will not suffice. Especially if a talented pool, who has a multitude of lucrative career options, has to be lured into it. The government needs to pander to their intellectual demands if they are to be interested in the job. This includes providing them means to pursue research or higher studies. Such a facility would benefit both the instructor and the students. Experienced staff members could be given sabbaticals to pursue postgraduate studies or doctorates, as is the case in engineering colleges. We could follow the examples set by the American States where several non-profit organisations have taken up the task of recruiting, selecting and training students from among colleges to teach in the State schools. By providing facilities for subsidised higher education, the programme has managed to absorb thousands of students and mid career professionals into the teaching profession.

This advantage of pursuing academics while on job is missing in the IT and ITES sector. So, it could prove helpful in attracting a larger percentage of professional students who currently pile into software companies. Orientation programmes could also be held to cite the attractions of choosing teaching as a profession.

Shahnaz Thahir

Thiruvananthapuram

Fact-finding and advisory committees are all right, but what if their recommendations, however noble and sensible, stumble upon extant policies and conventions? Since even the judiciary prefers a more or less hands-off policy towards privately supported education, nowadays, the government’s good intentions may end up being disregarded. Having earlier given private initiative a free hand in managing and delivering education, the government has only itself to blame for the state of affairs.

Let the government invite more private participation in education, by industry and businesses, but limit that to funding and monitoring. By using funds judiciously, to establish more institutions to deliver quality education, the government can show the way, both to the private sector and to the society as a whole, how good management can be a win-win situation for all concerned. Beating the private sector at its own game is what the government should do.

Devraj Sambasivan

Alappuzha

Private school managements employ many youngsters, who are unable to find jobs in aided or government schools. In these schools, merit rules and so, teachers have to work harder to produce better results.

Their efforts are usually ‘rewarded’ with low wages and poor service benefits. Though there has been a marginal improvement in their service conditions recently, it is not adequate. The teachers should be rewarded on par with their output. The government should wake up to the reality that those working in the private sector are not second grade citizens. In a democratic set-up equality is the keyword.

Capt. O.B. Nair

Poonithura

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