Schools go back to full routine with depleted staff strength

Kolkata: As full-fledged classes resumed from Wednesday, state govt schools struggled to conduct normal classes due to the manpower crunch following the Supreme Court verdict, which resulted in the loss of jobs for 25,752 teachers and non-teaching staff members.
Until April 12, the first summative assessment for classes 6 to 12 was being held in different schools, so normal classes were not conducted. Full-fledged normal classes for classes 5 to 10 resumed on Wednesday, with a few schools also beginning their first semester Class 12 classes.
The eligible teachers who lost jobs announced on Sunday that they would not return to schools. In such circumstances, school heads are helpless in conducting classes as many have lost multiple subject teachers and non-teaching staff.
Mitra Institution headmaster Raja Dey said: "My school has one maths teacher and a Bengali teacher. Some teachers have been assigned extra classes, but tackling such an extra load regularly will be impossible. So we have decided to make some changes in the routine and allot a period for study class for each section. Some artwork for junior classes and solving test papers for senior classes are being allotted."
VIP Nagar High School (HS) headmaster Dipen Sahoo said: "The school has lost a physical science, a life science, and a history teacher. It is impossible to take senior classes without them as they were single subject teachers. These classes are being replaced with other subject classes. The students are going to suffer." Park Institution headmaster Supriya Panja said that since the school lost two science teachers, other science teachers are taking extra classes to fill the gaps.
Kanakanagar SD Institution in Hingalganj has also allotted extra maths classes to its two science teachers as the school has lost its only maths teacher. "The concern is how to arrange sufficient classes until April 29 so that the syllabus is more or less completed. The students will be appearing for their second summative exam after the summer vacation," said headmaster Pulak Roy Chowdhury.
Haldia Govt-sponsored Vivekananda Vidyabhavan headmaster Haridas Ghatak is requesting other teachers to take extra classes in the absence of five teachers — one computer science, two biology, one Bengali, and one history teacher — so that students do not suffer.
The Headmistress of Gokarna Nritya Gopal Girls' High School (HS), Baisakhi Chattopadhyay, said: "We have already merged sections to tide over the manpower crunch. But despite that, it is difficult to conduct classes in the absence of four teachers (one pure science, one biology, one English, and one geography). Though we have allotted extra classes to teachers, it is not possible for a teacher to take six to seven classes at a stretch. Therefore, we are thinking of introducing PowerPoint presentations to engage students in the class."